Worlds of You
by Vixey F
Summary: Elena wakes up in the woods not knowing where she was and how she got there. She goes home to find everything different from what she rememberes. She had traveled not through time but through universes. And Worlds of Damons await her. Rated M for later.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1. The First World**

I opened my eyes to the bright sunlight momentarily making me blind. Immediately, I knew something was wrong. Very wrong. For one thing, I was drenched. My hair felt heavy and tangled, and my teeth were chattering due to the cold. For another, I had woken up not from my bed, but from the cold, hard, ground.

I was scared. God, I was so scared. I didn't know where I was, and I didn't know how I got here. The last thing I remembered was walking home from school. Slowly, I got to my feet, swaying slightly. My head felt so dizzy that I was afraid I would pass out. I had been lying on the shore of a lake, and my upper body was entirely wet. My T-shirt was stuck to my skin, and I was dripping water. I looked around to take in my surroundings, but I didn't recognize anything. Trees. Trees everywhere. I was in the woods.

Shivering from head to toe, I hugged myself around the middle. _Think, Elena._ I told myself. _How'd you end up here?_ But no brilliant answers found their ways to my head. I started to walk around aimlessly. The first step would be to get out of these woods. I'll figure the rest out later. It was quite warm, but I felt very cold because I was only wearing a T-shirt. A wet one, too.

"Hello?" I asked in a tiny voice that nobody would hear even if there were anyone here. Like I suspected, no one answered me. All I got were my quiet echoes. I was alone. I walked around the trees in search of an exit or an opening or something, but there was nothing waiting for me except for more trees. I don't know how long I wandered in the woods. By the end, all I wanted was to desperately get out of here, wherever _here_ was.

I was practically crying when I finally made it out of the woods and saw cars and people. It must have taken me hours. I saw Caroline walking down the streets and I felt like throwing myself at her.

"Caroline!" I gasped.

Caroline looked at me in shock. I must have looked like a crazy person with trigs in my hair and my bare arms scratched by bushes. And I was pretty sure my hair was in huge clumps.

"_Elena?_" Caroline asked, rushing over to me, "What _happened _to you? You look like hell!"

I wanted to say a sarcastic "_thanks_", but I didn't have to energy to. "What time is it? What day? Where is this place?" I asked desperately, my words slurring into each other.

Caroline looked very frightened now, "What? Are you okay? Hey…did you change your hair?"

"Huh?" I asked. I've know Caroline since kindergarten, and I've always had long, straight hair. "Caroline, please, where am I?" I pressed on, pushing the hair matter away.

"Relax, Elena, will you?" Caroline raised her eyebrows, "We're a few blocks away from The Grill. Boy, are you weird today."

Trust Caroline to always shower me with the unpleasant truth. But I must admit that I was indeed weird today. I was terrified. I had woken up in a part of the woods I've never been before, lying in the water, and I had no idea whatsoever about how I got there.

"Can you drive me home?" I pleaded.

"Yeah, of course. My car's just around the corner. Are you sure you're okay?" Caroline asked as she took my arm.

I caught a sniff of her perfume as she led me to her car. Thank God I met Caroline on the way. It made me a little calmer. Maybe I was sleepwalking. I consoled myself. Maybe that was why I woke up in a strange place. There was no reason to overreact about this…right?

Caroline made a beeline for my house. Her driving always made me so nervous. But I was nervous anyway today, so I didn't really notice.

"Um…Call me if you need anything, okay?" Caroline asked nicely and pushed her blond curls out of her eyes.

"Yeah…thanks." I said gratefully. I was about to slide out of the car before I noticed something extremely strange about her. Both of her hands were resting on the steering wheel, and she wasn't wearing the ring Bonnie made for her. _She wasn't wearing the ring._ The sun was shinning right at her, at us, and she wasn't burning up. How is that _possible?_

"Elena?" She asked me, sounding a little scared now, "…Are…are you okay?" She asked for the millionth time.

"Where is your ring, Caroline?"

"What? What ring?"

"The _ring_. The one Bonnie put a spell on so you could walk in the sun." I said hurriedly.

Caroline looked shocked. "Spell?" She asked blankly. "What are you talking about? Do you have a fever?"

I looked down to see whether I still had the vervain necklace around my neck. I did. I took it off and pressed it against Caroline's skin. It didn't burn. Her skin looked just the way it did.

Caroline wasn't a vampire. She was human. This was surreal. I _watched_ her turn into a vampire. I was _there_. She couldn't have turned back into a human…could she? It wasn't possible. It just wasn't.

"Elena?" She asked again, really scared now.

"I'll call you later, okay?" I quickly took the necklace away from her and put it back on. Then I got out of the car before I could do something extremely stupid, like asking her if she was human or not. I closed the car door and waved to her, trying my best to act normal. She waved back hesitantly before driving off. As soon as she was out of sight, I made for the porch.

I saw rose bushes in my front yard and frowned. I don't remember planting them. And I definitely don't remember either Jeremy or Jenna planting them. There were fences which I don't recognize around our yard too. Weird.

I searched my jeans pockets for my keys and was grateful I still had them. However, it didn't work. It didn't even fit in the lock. Sweat dripped down my face as I tried to push my key into the lock, but it wouldn't go in no matter how hard I pushed it. This had always been my key, and this had always been my house, how could it not work now? Giving up, I knocked raptly.

It was Jeremy who opened the door. I have never been so happy to see him. I threw my arms around him and hugged him. For a minute there, I was afraid that my key didn't work because it was someone else's house.

"Whoa, Elena? I thought you were in you room." Jeremy hugged me back reluctantly, "Are you okay?"

Everyone was asking me that. I let go of him and smiled, "Yeah. I am now." I looked at him closely. His hair was cropped short again, which made him look younger and fresher.

"Did you cut your hair?" I asked.

Jeremy raised his eyebrows, "Yeah, like three months ago. I got tired of the ponytail."

"_Ponytail_?" I almost choked.

"Yeah…it drove you crazy, remember?"

No. No, I didn't remember. I never had a memory of Jeremy with a ponytail. I was sure about that. Was this a joke I didn't get? Was Jeremy messing around with me? But he looked so serious. What was going on?

"I…I think I'll go up to my room." I said. I was getting a headache.

"Yeah, okay," Jeremy agreed, "I like your hair, by the way."

Why was everyone _saying_ that? My hair had _always_ been like this. Just messier today due to the fact that I woke up with my hair in the lake.

"What do you mean?" I asked wearily.

"Well, don't get me wrong, sis," He said, "I liked the short hair, it was cute. But this is more…you. How'd you manage to grow it so fast?"

"Short hair?" I repeated. I felt like fainting. I've never had short hair. Except when I was a kid, but he didn't mean that, did he?

Jeremy looked a bit alarmed at my lack of response. I didn't blame him. It had been a very weird day for me and all I wanted was to climb into bed and go to sleep.

"Maybe you should lie down or something. Are you feeling okay?" Jeremy asked me.

I nodded and then shook my head. I had no idea what I was doing anymore. I sincerely hoped I had a fever and was imagining things. I started to climb the stairs but stopped abruptly as I got a glimpse of the living room. It wasn't the way it used to be. The couch was different, the TV, the lamp, the carpet…everything. Everything was different. I rushed to the kitchen. It was different there too. The cupboards, the tiles, the fridge…I could hardly recognize this as my home. Did Jenna and Jeremy re-model the house while I was lying in the lake or something?

Hallucinating. I must be hallucinating.

I climbed the stairs again, my heart pounding in my head. Maybe I was dreaming. Maybe everything will be right again when I _really_ wake up. When I reached the doorknob to my room, though, I stopped again. I heard voices. _Voices_. I grasped the railing on the stairway so tightly that my knuckles turned white. Was I hearing things now? How could there be _voices_ in my room? _I_ wasn't even in there myself.

A low chuckle reached my ears. Was that Stefan? What was he doing in my room with the door closed? I heard another voice, a higher one. A girl's. My head hurt so badly that it felt like splitting. Was Stefan with another girl _in my room_? This was just getting weirder and weirder.

As quietly as possible, I tiptoed to my door and pressed my ear against it. I could hear the voices more clearly now, and that wasn't Stefan's voice. Burglars? I asked myself. My thoughts were interrupted as I heard a kiss and a moan. Burglars making out in my room? I wondered incredulously. This whole thing was turning out to be bizarre.

Before I could come up with another explanation as to why there were people in my room, the door swung open, almost knocking me off my feet. I caught my balance at the last minute and brought myself to an upright position, rubbing the side of my face which the door had hit.

Slowly, I raised my head to look at who was in my room.

It was Damon.

My eyes widened, and so did his. He was looking at me in disbelief, as if he couldn't believe I would turn up in my own house. Well, I could ask him the same question. I was getting angry now. What was he doing inside my room?

"Who was it?" Asked the girl in my room, craning her neck to get a good look at me.

Angry bubbled inside me. What was Damon and his little girlfriend doing in _my_ room? I looked over his shoulder to see who he was blocking.

My mouth dropped open in horror as I saw the girl sitting on my bed.

It was me.

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**Hey! Sorry this is shorter than my usual chapters, but I wanted to post this SO BADLY, and this was all I got so far! I promise the next chapter will be EXTRA LONG to make up for this one!**

**Please REVIEW! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2. The First World**

No. No, it couldn't be me. _I_ was me. That…that must be Katherine.

I backed away from them, horrified. The fact that Katherine was in my room scared me more than anything else that happened today. To my surprise, Katherine yelped and jumped off the bed, looking as terrified as I was.

"Katherine!" She screamed at me, her eyes bulging comically.

Confusion swept over me as I took another step back. This was more than I could handle. This was too much. If this was some sort of _game_ Katherine wanted to play, I didn't want to be a part of it.

"She's not Katherine." Damon stated, looking straight at me, "She has a heartbeat."

"…Then who is she?" The girl that looked exactly like me asked in a shaky voice. She walked over to Damon and grasped his hand tightly while looking at me.

"Who are _you_?" I asked back impolitely, suddenly feeling very brave.

The girl narrowed her eyes, which looked exactly like mine, at me, "…I'm Elena."

Okay. What just happened? No. _I _was Elena. Me. Not this…this girl. This was unreal. _Unreal_. I pinched myself on the forearm, wanting very much to wake up from this weird dream, yet I didn't wake up. This wasn't a dream. This was reality. Reality was that I was standing in front of this couple, and the girl was _me_.

I must be crazy. It must have been all the research Alaric made us do in History class. I must have gone crazy from that. Mentally insane. I was imagining things. It was the only explanation.

"Who are you, then?" The girl demanded in a tone I often used myself.

I took a deep breath, "_I'm_ Elena."

Both of them simply stared at me.

It was Damon who first broke out of the trance. "Ask her something only you know," He said gently to the Elena beside him, squeezing her hand. She looked braver with him next to her, and she stood to face me.

"Where do I keep my Diary?"

"Behind the portrait on top of my bed." I answered, wishing with all my heart that it was indeed still the place for my Diary in this strange world. Her widened eyes indicated that I had been right, and I let out a small sigh of relief.

"Who is my father?" She asked again.

"John Gilbert." I said without missing a beat. I was starting to feel like a contestant on a bad game show. As I expected, I was right again. I _had_ to be. This was _my_ life she was asking me about. There couldn't possibly be a question I couldn't answer.

"When was the first time I slept with Damon?"

Um. Okay. I take that back. I blushed scarlet. I had never slept with Damon. _Never_. I hadn't even kissed him. She just asked me something that never happened and never will. This made me doubtful about her identity. Was she in fact, as she stated herself, Elena?

"I never did," I said truthfully, "I was faithful to Stefan."

She made a choking sound, "_Stefan_? You're involved with _Stefan?_" She asked in a disbelieving voice that offended me. I think I was the one that had the right to say that to her. I wanted very much to reply, "_Damon? _You're involved with _Damon_?", but before I could say anything, Damon beat me to it.

"We should take her to Slater." He said to the girl. I kept calling her "the girl". It was weird to acknowledge her as Elena, because _I_ was Elena.

It took a few seconds for what Damon had said to sink in, "Wait…Slater?" I asked, "Rose's friend? I thought…I thought he was…dead."

"No, he's not," The girl said, "We just saw him a few days ago."

"Well, I saw his corpse." I said stubbornly. I looked at her closely for the first time. She had my eyes, my nose, and my mouth. She was identical to me. Except for the hair. Her brown hair was cut just above her shoulders, and curled in slightly towards her face. She also had a fringe that I didn't approve. I had _never_ seen myself with short hair. But I must admit, it _did_ look pretty cute.

She was startled by what I said. Her face twisted into a look of disbelief as she grasped Damon's hand again. There it was. The hand-holding. It was beyond weird to see myself so close to Damon.

Damon put his arm around her, "Come on," He said to us, "I'll drive. You two behave."

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They made me eat my words when they drove me to Slater's place. I've been here before, only to discover him with a stake through his heart. But this time, he was alive. Well, as alive as you can be when you were a vampire.

He looked a little surprised to see us, especially when he caught sight of me and…and the girl.

"You brought Katherine?" He asked Damon, eyeing me cautiously.

"She's not Katherine." Damon said back.

Slater raised his eyebrows but made no more comments as he led us to his spacious living room and gestured for us to sit on the couch.

"If I didn't know better, _Elena_," He said to me in particular, "I would have said you time-traveled." He continued as he poured us drinks, "But a person only has one body, thus, it is impossible for that person to split into two."

I had the impression that he was enjoying himself immensely. "So what is…_this_?" I asked, mentioning to Damon and the girl.

Slater smiled, but that smile only made me tenser, "Parallel universe." He said mysteriously.

"Excuse me?" The other Elena asked.

"I have about eighteen degrees, you know," Slater said, bragging a little, "And physics is one of them. Parallel universe, or, _multiverse_, is an untested theory in physics about multi possible universes. There are no ways to prove it exists, of course. Well, other than the fact that _you're_ here." He raised his glass to me, "It's about alternative universes. For example, _you_, Elena, would still be Elena in every universe. But you might make different choices in different worlds due to the different circumstances, which, in conclusion, would affect who you are. In this case, the different choices you made in different universes resulted in different haircuts." He said wisely.

I touched my hair automatically, eyeing the Elena with short hair.

"So…she's _me_?" The girl practically sitting in Damon's lap asked Slater.

Slater nodded at once, "The one and only. Metaphorically speaking, in this case."

"How did she get here?"

"How did I get here?"

Damon and I said together, our words collapsing into one another's. I looked at him curiously. Was he still the Damon back in my world? Would he be different here?

Slater looked like we had just asked a wonderful question, "Ah, well, for decades, scientists have been researching that. How to get into another world co-existing with this one? There must be some kind of _door_ to lead to a whole other world. A door which –"

"Yeah, yeah," Damon cut him off, "Get to the point."

Slater rolled his eyes, "I have a degree in Drama. I was just trying to put it to use." He sat down across from us, "The simple answer would be that Elena discovered a portal."

"But I didn't." I insisted, "I wasn't even looking for a…a portal. I woke up here."

Slater got up again. We watched him as he paced around his room, looking for something. When he came back, he was holding five CDs in his hands and a thick, short wooden stick. He put the stick through the CDs by making the stick go into the holes in the middle of them.

"Let's pretend the five CDs are five different worlds co-existing." He explained, "This one," He pointed to the one on the top, "is where you came from." He nodded at me. "And this," He pointed to the CD right next to the top one, "is where we all are right now."

Slater took a pair of scissors and cut identical gaps on each CD, "These gaps are _portals_." He said, "Now this is a stationary set of multiple universes. In order to consider _time_ as another factor, we'll need to…" He spun the CDs so that we were now facing five spinning CDs on a stick. Quite stupid, really, but I ignored that fact.

"There will come a time," Slater continued, "where two gaps correspond. In this case, it means that two gaps from two CDs will be parallel to each other. If you happen to be at the right place at the right time, you would be transported to another world. And that," He smiled again, "is the portal."

I repeated what he said in my head again. It made sense in a strange way.

"I woke up in the lake…" I muttered quietly, talking more to myself than others.

"Then that'd be the portal." Slater nodded.

"So I can go back? I can just go back to the lake and…and…" My voice trailed off as realization settled in. I needed to be _at the right place, at the right time_ in order to get send back to my world. But how would I know where is the right place and when is the right time?

Slater was no longer smiling, "The lake where you woke up from might not be the portal anymore. You'll need to look for the _real_ portal if you want to go back."

"But how do I find a portal?" I asked desperately.

To my disappointment, Slater shook his head. "That," he said, "is beyond my knowledge. Like I said, scientists have been working on that for _years_ without getting any results. I am no scientist. I am no where _near_ at finding a portal. I can't help you with that."

My heart sank. I had been seriously counting on Slater to point me a way, but all I got was why I was here.

"So," Slater settled back onto the couch, "Tell me, Elena, what was I like back in your world?"

"I never really met you." I admitted, not wanting to elaborate about how I discovered his body.

"Oh," He looked crestfallen, "Alright, then. Well, if there's anything else I can help you with, just holler."

I smiled politely as the three of us stood up to leave. Damon didn't say anything to me, and neither did the other Elena. We walked in silence to Damon's car, and I got into the backseat voluntarily.

As the engine started, I looked out the window to take in this strange, new world. Some things were different. There were bridges I don't remember, roads I have never been on, and a few houses in the neighborhood that I don't recognize.

To my relief, Damon took us to the Boarding House, which still looked the same like it did back home. My heart leapt when I thought of how at least I could see Stefan.

"Why are we here?" Asked the Elena in the front seat, "She can just stay with me."

"And freak out Jeremy?" I asked.

She whirled around to look at me, "You don't think he has a right to know things?"

"I think it's better if we protect him from certain things." I replied.

Damon was looking at us with an incredulous expression on his handsome face, "Wow," He said, "You guys should see what it looks like when you're arguing."

"Shut up, Damon." We said in unison and looked at each other in shock. It seemed like we were more alike than I gave us credit for.

Damon looked deeply amused now with a smirk playing on his lips. He opened the car doors for us and explained that I would have to stay at the Boarding House with him and Stefan until they figure out a way to send me back to my world.

It was the best plan so far, so I agreed. The other Elena was nice enough to bring me some of her clothes. Well, _my _clothes, mostly, but there were some pieces of clothing that I've never seen but quite liked. It was nice to know that we still liked the same things. We've got to. I mean, we were the same person, really.

"Where did you get this?" I asked, holding up a beautiful blouse that she had brought me.

She smiled and blushed, "Damon bought it for me, actually."

I felt weird all of a sudden. It was _very_ strange to hear my own voice get all…gooey when speaking about Damon. I have never used that tone before.

"How long have you guys been together?" I asked curiously.

She smiled again, and I could see the love for him in her eyes, "A little more than a year."

"_Really_?" I asked. That was how long I was with Stefan, "How'd you…um…start dating?" I asked again. I hoped I didn't sound nosy or anything. I was truly curious. I wondered why the Elena in this world was with Damon instead of Stefan.

"Actually, I fell for him first." She admitted, looking a little abashed, "He was dating my friend Bonnie at that time – Do you know Bonnie?"

"Yeah, I know her." I said, almost choking on my words. _Bonnie and Damon?_ Surreal.

"Well, they weren't really happy with each other," She continued.

_No surprises there._ I thought silently.

"But I couldn't say anything because she was my best friend and he was…well, someone I had an enormous crush on." She said.

"Wow," I replied, trying my best to imagine myself in that situation.

"Things got pretty ugly between me and Bonnie when they broke up and Damon started dating me, but we managed to patch things up." She shrugged, "But Bonnie never really approved of us being together. She _really_ dislikes Damon now."

"I can imagine." I said as a smile touched my lips. She was practically describing the Bonnie back home.

"So what about you?" She was just as curious about my life as I was about hers, "Are you _seriously_ with Stefan? No offence."

But the way she said it was offensive, "Yeah, we've been together for a long time," I said, defending my boyfriend, "He's really nice and considerate and…" My voice died down. And _what? _I couldn't really think of anything.

She seemed to be thinking along the same lines, because she sat down on the spare bed Damon had set up for me and shook her head, "Stefan's nice. He is. We went on a few dates before. But…that's just _it_ about him. Do you know what I mean? I never have anything to talk about with him. He's…not boyfriend material."

"Oh, and Damon is?" I asked before I could stop myself. I wasn't happy with the way she was talking about Stefan.

She looked offended now, "With Damon, it's never boring. We have a _lot_ of fun. He's passionate, smart, incredibly sexy…What don't you like about that?"

"Well, so is Stefan." I said, though I didn't sound very convincing. Stefan wasn't really those things the other Elena had described. He was smart; of course he was, but passionate and sexy? That would be a little exaggerating.

"I guess we're different that way." She said. She said that nicely too, not in the hostile voice I thought she'd use.

I gave her a small, polite smile. It was actually pretty easy to talk to her, given that she was, well, _me_. I wasn't as scared as I was when I first left Slater's. We'll figure this out. Somehow. I was no physics genius, but Stefan must be. He went to Harvard, didn't he? I thought proudly. He'll help me find the portal. And then I can go home.

"Elenas?" Damon asked playfully, poking his head into the spare bedroom, "Not fighting again, are we?"

She laughed softly, "No, babe, we're not."

God, it was weird to hear that. _Babe?_ I've never even called Stefan that. I could actually feel goosebumps on my arms. I was having a hard time getting used to the idea of Damon and Elena.

Damon walked over and kissed her. Did they have to do that in front of me? I busied myself with folding the clothes she gave me.

Damon grinned mischievously at the two of us, "You know what I was thinking?" His eyes twinkled.

"What?" She asked him.

"Threesome." He said simply.

Both of us smacked him on the chest at the same time.

His smirk didn't even waver. He was too strong to feel those smacks. "Is that a definite no?"

The other Elena rolled her eyes, "He's impossible," She said to me.

"Tell me about it." I agreed, thinking of the Damon in my world.

Suddenly the front door slammed shut. My heart rose with glee. Stefan. Stefan was home. I hurried down the stairs with the other two at my heels. It's only been a day since I last saw him, but I wanted nothing more but to hug him right now. I missed him so much that it seemed like we've been apart for years.

I practically twisted my ankle making my way down the stairs. I was so eager to see him.

Stefan raised his head to look at the three of us. His eyes traced over to my face, then Damon's, then the short-haired Elena's.

A snarl crept up Stefan's face as his eyes came back to me. I froze when I realized that nobody told him I was here, and he probably thought I was –

"Katherine," He growled. He tackled me, bringing me down the stairs. I screamed and I could hear the other Elena scream behind me. I could hear Damon shouting something in the back, but I couldn't make out what it is. Stefan and I rolled down the stairs. His hands were around my throat and I couldn't breathe. I could feel the wooden stairs cutting into my back.

I reached the bottom and felt blinding pain on the side of my head. Darkness closed in and I knew no more.

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**I wanted to thank all the readers and all the reviewers! :P **

**Since I'm not really busy anymore, I'll try to update as fast as possible. This isn't going to be a very long story, and I can't wait to get started on my next one.**

**Thank you for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3. The First World**

My head throbbed painfully. I could hear distinctive voices, but I didn't really have the energy to raise my head or open my eyes. The last thing I remembered was rolling down the stairs, and my whole body felt sore from that incident.

"…total idiot, Stefan." Someone was saying. Probably Damon. "Couldn't you tell she had a heartbeat?"

There was a sigh. Then Stefan's voice came on, "I'm sorry. I-I didn't _think_. Is she okay?"

"I gave her some of my blood. She should be awake soon."

"Where's…you know, _our_ Elena?" Stefan asked.

An uncomfortable feeling surged through me upon hearing them address the other Elena that way. We were the same person, weren't we? Yet somehow I did not fit in here. I didn't have a place.

"I drove her home." Damon was saying, "And she's _my_ Elena." He corrected protectively.

_What about me then?_ I thought to myself. If she was Damon's Elena, who am I? Was I actually jealous? Of myself? God, everything was so weird here.

I opened my eyes. Everything was a little foggy to me, and I needed a minute to adjust. When my head stopped pounding, I tried to speak.

"Damon?" I asked. I wasn't sure why I hadn't called for Stefan. Maybe it was the fact that he pushed me down the stairs. I reminded myself that this wasn't _my_ Stefan back in my world, so there was no reason to hold a grudge.

Damon rushed over immediately. He handed me a glass of water and propped my head up so I could sit against the headboard, "You okay?" He asked anxiously.

"Yeah…" I replied. I took a small sip of the water and handed it back to him. My eyes went over to Stefan, who was standing by the door, not sure whether he should come in or not.

"I'm sorry, Elena," Stefan said at once when he saw me looking at him. He came over to my bed, "I didn't know. I'm…really sorry."

"It's fine," I assured him, putting my hand on op of his.

Damon cleared his throat, and I pulled my hand back. I told myself that in this world, I was with Damon. No, not _me_, the _other_ Elena. _She_ was with Damon. Stefan looked a little uncomfortable at my gesture too. He definitely didn't meet my eye.

I felt confused and hurt all of a sudden. I wanted my boyfriend to comfort me, to tell me everything was okay, but Stefan wasn't even looking at me. I can't blame him, of course. The Stefan in this world wasn't romantically involved with Elena. But all the same, I couldn't help feeling disappointed at his reaction to me.

It was Damon who took my other hand in his tightly, "We'll get you out of this mess." He said seriously, "I promise."

I was a bit surprised. But one sentence from Damon took away all my fear. I gave him a tiny smile and squeezed his hand.

He rearranged the covers for me and turned off the light, "You should get some sleep." He said, pushing Stefan out of my room.

"Okay." I agreed weakly. I was barely awake anyway.

Damon closed the door gently behind him on his way out.

For a while, I merely lied in bed and stared at the darkened ceiling. I had survived my first day in a different world, and I was so home-sick that my chest hurt from thinking about it. I missed Bonnie, Caroline, Aunt Jenna, and Jeremy horribly. Most of all, I missed Stefan. I didn't like the distant Stefan here. I wanted _my_ Stefan. I rolled my eyes when I realized how whiny I sounded.

I turned around on my side to look out the window. It had started raining, and the tiny raindrops were like soft knocks on the glass. The thunder made it more impossible to fall asleep. It was hard to believe that less than a day has passed. I felt like so much had happened.

I got up and walked barefoot to Stefan's room. I couldn't sleep and I wanted to talk to him. I knew his room by heart, and I was relieved to find that it was still his room in this world. But he wasn't there. His bed was empty, and there was no sign of him in the Boarding House.

"Elena?" Someone asked groggily behind me.

I whipped my head around to find Damon.

He was shirtless. And his hair was messy.

That was a combination that made my cheeks burn so hot that you could have fried an egg on there.

"D-Damon." I stammered, "I-I couldn't sleep."

He put him arm around me and steered me around so I was walking towards his room, "Then join me," He yawned.

It occurred to me that he wasn't really wide awake and that he might have mistaken me for the other Elena. I tried to wiggle out, but he clamped me to his side.

"Um, Damon?" I asked timidly as we reached his room, "I can just go back to my room."

Damon froze and let go of me, "Oh, shit, Elena, I forgot. You're not dating me back in your world, are you?"

"No." I replied.

He raised his eyebrow in a cocky way, "Then you're missing out on a whole lot."

I scoffed. "I doubt it."

Damon smirked and turned around, putting both hands on the wall behind me so he created a barrier that trapped me within, "Trust me, you are." He said in a supercilious voice. Suddenly he bent his head and kissed me.

I gasped in surprise, but his mouth covered that gasp. Head buzzing, I pushed him away. I knew I wasn't near strong enough to move him, but he backed away voluntarily anyway.

He gazed at my reddened face haughtily, "Just something you could think about when you can't sleep." He said carelessly with a wink. Then he strode off to leave me standing in the hallway like some idiot.

I stood there in shock for a while before making my way back to my room. A million thoughts were running through my head as I crawled back into bed and brought the covers up to my chin. The sound of the raindrops was messing with my head too, because I don't think I could think straight anymore. Did this count as cheating on Stefan? I had kissed someone else. _Damon_, out of all people. And I know I should feel disgusted and offended, but I didn't. I felt…I felt…I didn't know that feeling.

My heart was pounding in my chest, and I could feel his lips on mine as I re-lived the memory in the hallway over and over again. It wouldn't mean a lot to Damon because he probably kissed the other Elena every day. But for me, this was the first time _ever_. I don't think he knows just how much this meant to me.

I touched my lips. There was no way I could sleep now. I closed my eyes and tried to think about anything but Damon. Needless to say, I was not successful.

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I didn't know how long I lied there. My thoughts were everywhere. Eventually, they came back to what Slater said earlier today. I wanted to go back, to go home desperately, so I started repeating what Slater told me, hoping to find some kind of a clue which could help me find a portal.

I tried very hard to remember _why_ I woke up in the lake in the first place, but somehow, I didn't have a memory of it. I've never even _seen_ the lake until today.

Suddenly, I sat up, wide awake. I had just realized something. _Slater was wrong_.

I threw off the covers and felt for my Converse sneakers around the bed with my bare feet. He was wrong about the portal. If what he showed us with the CDs was true, then he missed a point: the gaps on each CD stayed the way they were when the CDs were spinning. They were on the same spot on the CDs. They didn't disappear. They were the portals. And that meant that the lake was _still _the portal. Slater had said I needed to be in the right place at the right time. Well, this _was_ the right place. All I needed to find, was the right time.

I haven't felt excited for a long time, but this time I could clearly feel it. I pulled on the beautiful, white, satin blouse the other Elena had brought me – The one Damon gave her, she said. I could go back _now_. I could go _home_.

I nearly fell due to my eagerness to get out of here. I stumbled across Damon's room and made a loud racket. But I didn't care. I was no longer thinking about the kiss. All I thought was how I was about to return to my own world.

"Elena? What are you doing?" Damon asked urgently, catching my wrist and pulling me back. He was awake again, and this time he sounded annoyed.

I tried to break free but failed, "I know where the portal is." I said breathlessly. "And I'm going."

He paused, but only for a second, "Alright. I'll drive."

"No, I can get there myself."

Damon reached for his shirt, "No, I don't think so, Elena." He taunted, "…You're wearing that blouse." He suddenly remarked, staring at me.

"…Yeah. It was nice. I liked it." I admitted, hoping he'd hurry up.

"_My_ Elena never wears it." He chuckled.

He kept calling her _his_ Elena, and that made me very uncomfortable. It was as if he was enunciating how I _wasn't_ his Elena, and she _was_. I shook my head. The kiss was messing with my thoughts. I wouldn't be thinking this way if he hadn't kissed me.

"Why not?" I asked.

Damon smirked, "Well," He said as he searched for his car keys, "It's see-through." He flicked open the light.

I looked down. Sure enough, there was my bra, clearly visible through the thin sheet of material. Damon was still smirking as he took in the sight of me.

Blushing furiously, I pulled on another jacket. There was no way I was going to change in front of him.

Damon chuckled and put his hand on my back to guide me out of the door. He no longer looked annoyed even though I woke him up at three o'clock. He was considerate enough to give me an umbrella but he himself walked in the rain.

"Where's Stefan?" I asked. I knew me and the Stefan in this world didn't really leave very good first impressions, but I would really like to say goodbye to him. He was still Stefan. My boyfriend.

Damon's face darkened when I mentioned Stefan's name, "Probably out hunting. Why?" Though he kept his eyes on the road, I saw his lips go into a thin line.

I sighed, "No reason. I wanted to say goodbye."

"You're sure the lake is still the portal?" Damon asked, deliberately changing the subject.

I shifted around in my seat, "Well…no…" I admitted, "I mean, I know it's the portal. But I don't know when it'll…open up."

Damon shrugged and continued driving. "This may sound weird, but…I guess I'll miss you when you leave."

"Yeah?" I asked doubtfully.

"Yeah," He confirmed, "I never got my threesome."

"Ugh." I crossed my arms, "And here I thought we were having a sentimental moment."

He smirked at my response as he parked the car and the end of the woods, "It's here, right?"

I nodded.

Damon hugged me to him and put the umbrella over us. Even so, icy rain drops crashed into my body, soaking my side. I was shivering in a few minutes, and Damon noticed. He took off his jacket and put in on me so the only thing he was wearing was a T-shirt.

"Damon, aren't you c-cold?" I asked as we continued walking in the muddy grounds.

"Nope. It's one of the good things about being a vampire," He shrugged. "Other than being the eternal stud, of course."

I let a tiny smile touch my lips. It was weird to admit this, but I was going to miss this Damon when I go back. I mean, he was still the same Damon, but somehow I felt…attached to him. Was I even making sense?

We reached the lake in a few more minutes. I was awed by Damon's sense of direction. I remembered how long it took me to walk out of these woods. I've never even told Damon where the lake was, and he found it in less than ten minutes.

"Here you go," He said, "One portal."

His joking tone made me feel a little better. My heart swelled when I thought was how I could be going home. Even though I was going to miss the Damon here, I tried to look on the bright side.

"So…what now?" Damon asked.

"Um…" I struggled with an answer. I really didn't think this through. I mean, the lake looked just the way it did, and I had no idea how to…well…turn it into a portal. "I guess I have to…walk in?" I said uncertainly.

I trudged slowly into the lake. The water was freezing. My teeth were chattering so loudly that I was sure Damon could hear them.

Nothing happened.

I walked further into the lake, so that the water reached my knee. The rain made tiny waves appear on the surface, and they lapped around my legs, making my thighs wet. I was freezing. I couldn't feel my hands.

And still, nothing happened.

By that time, I wanted desperately for something to happen. A sign; an irregularity; _anything_. I started to walk deeper into the lake. I heard Damon calling my name from behind but I ignored him. I've _got_ to go home. I've _got_ to. This lake was the portal. It _had_ to be.

"Elena, are you crazy?" Damon yelled. I heard water splashing and knew he had made his way into the lake too. Still, I ignored him and walked on. I had this insane thought that if I got into the middle of the lake, maybe it'd take me back to my world. Maybe I _was_ crazy.

Suddenly, I slipped. I gasped as my whole body fell into the freezing water. I shouldn't have opened my mouth. Water was pouring in, and I couldn't breathe. I couldn't see anything either. I tried to call out for help but my voice was only bubbles underwater.

Damon's strong arms curled around my waist and pulled me out.

I tried to gasp in air, but I coughed and spluttered.

"What were you _doing_?" Damon demanded, "You could have killed yourself!"

I coughed a few more times before I could speak, "I'm sorry…" I wheezed, "I wanted to go home…" I winced at my whiny words.

Damon's face softened, "I _promised _I'd get you home, okay, Elena? There's no need to kill yourself over it."

I sighed, "Okay."

Damon carried me all the way out of the woods. Both of us were drenched, and even though he tried very hard to keep me warm, I was still trembling.

Cursing under his breath at the weather, Damon started to get us to the Boarding House using his abnormal vampire speed.

The rain was like knives across my cheek due to the speed we were traveling, and I covered my head with my hands, "D-Damon," I said, "What about the car –?"

"It'll still be there in the morning." Damon replied. A few seconds later, we were in his room at the Boarding House.

I didn't reject as Damon pried my wet clothes off of me. I was too cold to do anything myself anyway. My hands were so stiff that they couldn't even button the warm pajamas Damon had dressed me in, so he did it for me. After I was fully clothed again, Damon made me go under the covers in his bed.

"Damon –" I started to say.

"No, Elena," He interrupted, "I don't want you to get a fever. You're sleeping with me." He started to undress before my eyes. "For warmth." He added, afraid I'd take it the wrong way.

I averted my gaze as he undressed. Finally, he climbed in next to me and hugged me close. He was right. It _was_ incredibly warm this way.

"My Elena would get _so_ jealous if she saw us…" Damon said with a smirk, "She doesn't handle jealousy well."

Apparently, neither did I, because I was getting jealous at the way he kept calling her _his_ Elena.

_What are you thinking? Stop that._ I told myself. _Your boyfriend is Stefan. Whatever world you're in, it's still Stefan. You can't be jealous of anyone else._

Damon's breathing slowed in no time, indicating that he was asleep. Even in his sleep, he didn't let his arms fall away from me. They still surrounded me tightly, crushing me into his chest.

I watched him for a long time. A strange feeling was slowly sprouting inside me. I didn't know what it was but I didn't want to acknowledge its existence either. Instead, I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

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**Thank you so much for reading! The reviews were AMAZING! I love reading what you guys think. One of the main reasons that I try to update as soon as I can is to get some reviews from you guys! :P**

**So thank you!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4. The First World**

"You know," Said Damon, playing with a curl of my hair between his fingers, "I think I like you with long hair better."

Thank God I was facing the other way because I could feel my face heat up again. This was…too intimate for me. I couldn't just lie in bed with my boyfriend's brother, no matter which world I was in. I scurried away from him and got up off the bed.

Damon propped himself up on his elbow, "You okay?"

"Mm-hm." I shrugged, "I'll just get dressed." I said quickly and walked towards the door without looking back.

In a second Damon was in front of me, "Elena,"

"Yes?" I asked, looking anywhere except at him.

"You're my girlfriend."

I would have given anything at that moment to _stop my face from burning._ "No…Damon, I'm not." I sighed.

Damon shrugged, "You are in _this_ world. What does that tell you?"

"You know what Slater said," I mumbled, "I might make different decisions in different worlds, and I guess in this one, I chose you instead of Stefan."

"A wise choice." Damon winked.

"Whatever, Damon," I was still looking fixedly at a spot behind his ear, "Can I just go get dressed now?"

"Suit yourself," Damon moved out of my way, "Hey, my Elena's going to be at school all day, you wanna…." He shrugged, "…do something?"

It was very weird to hear him say _Elena's_ going to be at school. And the way he said it made me feel like me and Damon were having an affair behind the other Elena's back. Maybe I was just too sensitive.

I shook my head, "No thanks. I think I'll just…wait for Stefan to come back."

"And do what?" Damon asked, "Oh, wait, let me guess. Have a _meaningful_ conversation?" He mocked, "How _fun_."

I sighed in exasperation. As much as I hated his tone, he was half right. I don't even know what I could say to this Stefan. He was just polite to me. He treated me like a guest, and I didn't like that. He was my _boyfriend_. I never thought that would change in alternative universes.

"Fine," I replied, crossing my arms, "Why'd you have in mind?"

"Actually," Damon wiggled his eyebrows at me mysteriously, "I thought I'd take you to Georgia. I know this great little bar right beside –"

"Been there, done that." I interrupted.

"_What_?" Damon's smirk slid right off his face. It was quite amusing, actually, and I stifled back a giggle.

"Bree's Bar, right? And she used to have a thing with you?" I asked. The look on his face was priceless. "Yeah, you already took me there." I explained, "Back in my world."

Damon smirked in understanding, "How'd it go?"

"Well…we had a great time," I admitted, "And then I saved your life."

"Dramatic." Damon nodded in approval.

"Got anything else in mind?"

Damon narrowed those beautiful blue eyes at me, "Wanna do something crazy?"

I felt intrigued. I reminded myself that this was Damon, and whatever he considered crazy would be twice as crazy to me. But I felt so curious that I couldn't help myself.

"Yeah," I said, surprising myself. What was I doing?

Damon smirked back. In a second, he was standing right beside me, and, picking me up and throwing me over his shoulder, Damon made for the open window with vampire speed. I shrieked. I knew what he was going to do, but there was no way I could stop him now.

In just mere milliseconds, Damon had made his way across the huge bedroom. Laughing at my fear, he jumped out of the window.

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.

For a split second, I thought I was going to die. I was falling through the air. My body was pressed against Damon's, but even if I fell on him, I'd still die. I might break my neck or something. And getting killed was _not_ what I had signed up for.

They say that when you're about to die, your whole life flashes before your eyes. Well, mine did. I saw flashbacks of everything in life. Actually, everything that consisted of Damon, to be exact. The first time I met him. The time he tried to kiss me. The look on his face when Isobel said he loved me. The countless times he's saved me. The time he was lying in the fire. The time he took me to Georgia. Everything.

Suddenly my body hit the cool water.

Damon brought me up to the surface immediately so I could breathe. Gasping in air, I wiped my hair from my eyes so I could see him. His hair was stuck to his face, and he was still smirking.

I looked around. There was a pool in the backyard of the Boarding House in this world. I didn't know about that. I can't believe I thought I was going to die. Damon certainly wouldn't have allowed that. I can't believe I was stupid enough to even think that.

Staring at Damon, who doing a careless backstroke beside me, I felt laughter rising up in my chest. I had just jumped out (carried out, actually) of an open window into the swimming pool in the backyard, and it felt…_great_.

I laughed as I pushed my hair out of my face.

"Fun, right?" Damon asked.

"Yeah," I agreed. I was still a little shaky, but in a good way. In an excited way. I couldn't describe it, but I haven't felt like this in a long time.

The other Elena was right:

_With Damon, it's never boring._

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.

I was starting to feel at home at the Boarding House. Since I didn't have to go to school because the other Elena was going for me, Damon took me _everywhere_. I got to see Mystic Falls all over again, and there were a lot of things different from the way they were back home. For one thing, Lexi was alive. She only visited Stefan, like, two hundred times a day. I was so jealous, but I couldn't say anything. Stefan was free to do whatever he wanted, and I couldn't stand in his way. I didn't know what was going on with the two of them, but no way were they _just friends_. It was _very_ uncomfortable to see my own boyfriend flirting with another girl.

Another thing was that Caroline was human. And she was dating Tyler. But that was probably because Matt still liked me. Well, not me, the other Elena. She gets a million calls from him all day long. It was pretty fun to see Damon all jealous.

Also, Vickie wasn't dead. She wasn't even a vampire. She wasn't dating Jeremy, though. She was still hung up on Tyler, who was dating Caroline. It was all very complicated.

One thing that really bothered me was the fact that I didn't know what was happening in my own world. Since I was _here_, I assumed that my original world is without an Elena. Was anyone looking for me? Were they worried?

I got in touch with Slater again to ask those questions, and he confirmed my thoughts. That meant that while there were two Elenas here, there were no Elenas back in my world. Stefan probably missed me just as much as I missed him.

I also asked Slater about the portal. He was surprised at my premise, but he admitted that he might have been wrong when he said the lake wasn't the portal. I knew I was right all along. But that didn't really help with anything. So now I knew _where_ the portal was, but I had no idea _when_ it'll open up. I couldn't just set up camp beside the lake and live there. I've already been there seven times after that rainy night, and not once had it opened up for me.

Whenever I thought about that, I got really scared. What if the portal remained closed and I was stuck here…forever?

I shuddered at that thought and tried to think about something else.

The creak of the door told me someone was home. I had stopped hoping it was Stefan. Even if it were, he never spoke more than two words to me. And when he did, it was always in the same polite voice. I was getting really tired of that.

The reluctant footsteps told me it was the other Elena who walked through the door.

"Damon?" She asked.

"Nope," I came down the stair, "It's just me."

"Oh, hey," She said as she set her bag down, "You know, everywhere I go, people are asking me, 'Hey, where'd your long hair go?' and I had to tell them it was a wig."

"I vote for the wig." Said a male voice. We both jumped. Damon had sneaked up on us and was sitting on the couch, pouring himself a drink as he looked at us. "I like you with long hair."

I turned to look at the other Elena curiously, "Hey…why'd you cut your hair anyway?"

She hesitated, "Well…I did it so people could differentiate me with…Katherine."

Damon stopped smirking altogether, "You never told me that." He said quietly.

She shrugged, not looking at either of us, "I didn't want to make a big deal out of it. You guys never confused me with Katherine after that. Remember?"

Damon was silent for a minute. The next, he set down his glass and pulled her into a tight hug, "I'm sorry, I didn't know. I love your short hair." He kissed her forehead and ran his fingers through her hair.

I was feeling very awkward now. But I also felt a little warm looking at the pair of them They looked…so meant to be. So perfect. So compatible.

_You could have that, you know._ Said a tiny voice inside my head. _You could have the exact same thing with Damon when you go back to your world. _

I ignored it.

Stefan came home shortly after that. It was very awkward for the four of us to stand in the same room together, especially because two of us were the same person. I had wanted to talk to Stefan alone for some time now, and I couldn't think of a better opportunity than this one.

I mentioned for Stefan to follow me out of earshot.

It was funny that while the Stefan back in my world could understand all my gestures and practically read my mind, the Stefan here was a total stranger and couldn't understand anything about me. He was looking at me with a puzzled expression on his face.

"Yes?" He asked.

"Can I talk to you?"

"Oh," He said again expressionlessly, "Sure. What's going on?"

I hated that tone. He sounded careless. He sounded as if he couldn't care less about what I had to say. True, there was nothing in particular that I wanted to talk to him about, but back in my world, Stefan's always listened intently to everything I had to say.

"Privately?" I pressed on.

Stefan nodded and followed me into the spare bedroom Damon set up for me a week ago. I closed the door behind me, and when I turned around, I found him standing in the center of the room with his hands in his pockets. The gesture screamed _"Let's get this over with."_

"What did you want to talk about?" He asked politely.

"Well," I sat down on the bed and hoped that he'd do the same. But he didn't. He was deliberately keeping his distance. "You know that back in my world, we were dating, don't you?"

He nodded curtly without a word.

"But here…here it's different." I wasn't even making sense. "I mean, obviously, we aren't together here."

Stefan nodded again, this time slowly, "Elena…what are you saying?"

I sighed, "I've missed you." I said flatly.

Stefan finally came over to sit next to me. Hesitantly, he put his arm around me, which was the closest we've ever been since I got here, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to avoid you. It's just…it's hard to see Elena – the other Elena – with Damon all the time. And now you're here and…you're _still_ with Damon all the time. It's like…you shut me out."

"I didn't shut you out." I protested. If anything, it was _him_ who shut _me_ out.

Stefan smiled at me, but it was the same polite smile. "Elena, you do it subconsciously." He explained, "It's like you let Damon in, but you push me out. You've been here for a week, and this is the longest conversation we've had."

Ｉlooked at him in shock. I had talked to Damon more than I talked to him because Stefan avoided me all the time. But now that I think about it, _I _avoided him too. I didn't do it purposely, but…it was just…awkward with him.

Even right now, his arm around me felt tense.

Stefan stood up and paced around the room, and I was actually relieved to put some distance between us. What was wrong with me? This was my _boyfriend_ here.

"I think…" He started, "…You belong back in your world." He said almost apologetically.

I nodded. I agreed, but I couldn't help feeling a little hurt. He was speaking as thought indicating that he didn't want me here.

And he probably didn't. One Elena was enough.

My thoughts led to Damon. He was _thrilled _at my presence. He loved it that there were two of us, and that was exactly the opposite from what Stefan wanted. In a way…it was like Damon couldn't get enough of us while Stefan…well, Stefan thought it was too much.

I stood up too to open the door and let myself out. It was pointless to carry on this conversation, and my impression of the Stefan in this world was even worse than before. I told myself that I was thinking too critically, but deep down, I knew what I thought made sense in a way.

When I went by Damon's room, I found him and the other Elena standing on his bed. They were having what it appeared to be a pillow fight. She was shrieking with laughter as he tore the pillow she threw at him. There were feathers floating all around them. Then Damon lunged at her and they both fell backwards onto the bed, laughing.

It was a nice sight. I never had that with Stefan or Matt or anyone, and it was nice to see myself so happy. I could feel a _craving_ inside. I _craved_ for that…that kind of closeness. Would I ever have that with Stefan?

Walking away from Damon's bedroom, I heard raindrops again on the windows, and I knew it was time. I couldn't explain it, but I had a feeling that it was time for me to leave. And by leave, I meant this world. This totally unfamiliar and strange world; it was time for me to leave it.

It was more like a hunch. A _feeling_. This time, I was sure that when I go to the lake, it'd open up for me.

I put on a jacket and walked to the door. I didn't want to say goodbye to anyone. I know I'd see them all except the other Elena when I go back. I have intruded enough of their lives, and it was truly time for me to go.

I could almost hear a voice calling to me as I made my way towards the woods. It was so weird, because I was acting on just a hunch, but somehow I knew I was right. The drizzle made me shiver, but I ignored it. I almost got to the edge of the woods before someone grabbed my shoulder from behind.

"Hey," It was Damon. Like always, he had come after me. "Where're you going?"

Behind him, the other Elena and Stefan were catching up. I guess it was stupid of me to think I could leave unnoticed.

"I'm going to the lake." I said. The rain was heavier now. Just like the time Damon pulled me out of the lake.

"Again?" He asked, "We just went a few hours ago."

"I know," I said quickly, "But this is it this time. I know it."

Stefan had come up finally, "Come on, Elena. Let's just go back."

I shook my head. I didn't know how to convince them. "Look, Stefan, I can't explain it, but I just know I'm right, okay?"

"Elena, be rational here." Stefan pressed on. "It's already dark out, and from the looks of it, there's a storm coming. Let's just come back tomorrow."

"Stefan, just let her do what she wants." The other Elena spoke up for me.

Damon put his arm around me and his other arm around the other Elena, "Come on, I'll walk you there." He spoke to the both of us.

Stefan sighed and followed us. He was always like that. Always having to be _rational_. _Never_ a spontaneous act. That was why it was always the same with him. Everyday with him was like routine that I repeated over and over again.

I shook my head, wanting to shake those thoughts away. I had never thought anything bad about Stefan. And just because he didn't want to follow my hunch, I'm holding a grudge against him? That wasn't fair to him.

Stefan had been right about the storm, though. It was raining so heavily that I could barely see what was in front of me. Twice, I asked Damon, Stefan and the other Elena to just go back, but none of them wanted me to walk alone in this rain.

It was like repeating last week's events all over again. Last week, I had gone to the lake with Damon and almost drowned without getting anywhere _near_ the portal. Last week, it had rained just like this.

Yet today, right now, I just _knew_ the portal would open up.

When we reached the lake, all of us were drenched from head to toe. The wind was picking up, whipping my wet hair around my face. I squinted at the scene in front of me. The lake was still the lake, nothing different.

I felt my disappointment but walked in towards the water anyway.

As soon as I got close enough to the shore, I saw something. It looked like a few waves caused by the storm, but it wasn't. It was…it was a whirlpool. In the middle of the lake. A big one too, and a little life-threatening.

"Elena!" Stefan yelled. He had to yell to be heard over the wind. He had seen the whirlpool too, "It's too dangerous!"

This time, Damon agreed with him, "He's right. This is even bigger than the one last time."

"What?" I asked him.

Damon came closer so I could hear him, "Last week, when you came here in the middle of the night, you almost got sucked into the whirlpool!" He practically shouted.

"There was no whirlpool last time!" I shouted back. The wind was howling so loudly that I had a hard time understanding him.

"Yes, there were!" He replied, "You couldn't see it because it was so far away."

"I almost made it to the center of the lake that time!" I protested, "If there were a whirlpool, I would have seen it!"

Damon grabbed my shoulders, "When you got close enough to see the whirlpool, you slipped and almost drowned. And when I went in to save you, it was gone. But that's not the point, Elena. That whirlpool is nowhere _near_ as big as this one. You can't go in there!"

Suddenly, I understood. I understood _everything._

_I_ was the only one that was allowed to travel through universes. And that whirlpool right there; that was the portal. That was why I tried _so_ hard to get to the middle of the lake last time. And I would have succeeded if Damon hadn't entered the lake to save me. The whirlpool, the _portal_, had disappeared because Damon went into the lake. Because no one else was supposed to go through the portal except for me. _That_ was why I didn't see the whirlpool last time.

And as for the rain…it took a storm like this to make a whirlpool in the first place. _That_ was where my hunch came from. I had known subconsciously that the portal would open when it rained.

Everything was so clear to me now.

"I have to go in." I told them. "The whirlpool is the portal. It'll close soon, and I have to get there in time!"

The other Elena grabbed my wrist with her icy hand, "You can't! Damon's right, it's too dangerous! What if it's _not_ the portal? What if it's just a whirlpool? You can't take that risk!"

I didn't have the time to convince them. I turned around to look at the lake. I could tell the portal is closing already.

I wiggled out of her grasp and took her hands in mine instead, "I have to go in." I said. I knew she'd understand, because she was me.

Her eyes widened in fear, but she nodded slowly and squeezed my hands. "Okay."

"Whatever happens," I told her firmly, "No one can come after me. No one can go in the lake except for me, okay?"

She nodded again. I let go of her hands and she hugged me, surprising me.

"Be careful." She said.

It was weird to be hugged by yourself, but I hugged her back. Stefan gave me a quick hug too. He had heard what I said to the other Elena and he knew I must go into the lake. Next came Damon. I tried to make it quick because I had no idea when the portal would close, but he hugged me so tightly for so long that I could barely breathe.

When he finally let go of me, I knew I didn't have much time left. I stepped into the icy water.

Before I could take another step, Damon caught hold of my forearm from behind.

Wordlessly, he stared at me. His eyes seemed to plead with me, to tell me not to go and that it was too big of a risk. His gorgeous hair fell all over his face, and the grasp on my arm was so tight that I was sure he'd leave a bruise.

"Damon," I said. It was raining so hard now that every time I opened my mouth, I could taste raindrops, "You have to trust me on this one."

I felt his grasp on me loosen.

After what seemed like a lifetime, he nodded curtly and let go of me. But before I could turn back, he came up and kissed me.

That took me by surprise, but I suddenly didn't care about the portal anymore. I kissed him back hungrily, urgently, desperately. I knew that when I go back to my world, whatever I had with this Damon here would be gone.

We broke apart, and reality came rushing back to me. I gave him one last look before making my way into the lake.

Just like last time, it took me quite a while because the water was so cold. By the time my lower body was all in the water, I was so frozen that my legs wouldn't work properly. The waves were suddenly fiercer than before and I was afraid they'd swallow me. Countless times they lapped around me, hindering me from getting to the middle of the lake. Countless times I almost lost my balance and brought myself back up at the last second.

I turned around once to look at the three of them standing by the shore. Damon had his arm around the other Elena, and Stefan stood alone beside them. I fixed my gaze upon the couple and once again gave them my blessings.

Turning back, I made my way deeper into the lake. It was getter harder and harder to walk now, so I swam instead. That was a mistake because as soon as my feet left the ground, the waves thrashed me around, bringing me underwater.

I struggled with the invisible hands in the water and came up for air, gasping as another wave came my way. I was closer to the whirlpool now, and it was getting very difficult to stand my ground.

"Damon! No! You can't!" I heard the other Elena yell frantically from behind. I knew that Damon was trying to come in after me, and I wished with all my heart the other Elena could stop him.

"Stefan! Help me!" She cried.

The wind and rain made their voices seem muffled. I forced myself not to look back and focused on what was in front of me.

"Let me go!" I heard Damon's voice, "She's drowning!"

In fact, I was. I had been sucked in by the whirlpool and my body was moving towards the center, carried by the water. I could hardly breathe as fear filled me. Had I been wrong? Had this, indeed, been just a whirlpool and nothing else? Was I being pulled to the bottom of the lake, never to come out again?

It was too late to regret anything. I was choking. Water filled my lungs and I struggled to stay on the surface so I could breathe. The whirlpool was too strong to fight against. It pulled me beneath the water swallowed me whole.

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**The Second World.**

I felt like I was floating. I had no control over my body. But I knew I was floating. And breathing. I wasn't dead. I was alive. I was breathing.

My eyes shot open. White. White all around. And the smell of thimerosal. Hospital. I was in a hospital. My heart sank.

So the whirlpool hadn't been the portal. And I, stupidly, had almost walked straight into my own death. Damon or Stefan must have saved me and brought me here. I sat up and clutched the stiff white blankets in my fists.

The door to my room opened and Jeremy walked in, "Hey, you're awake."

"Hey, Jer," I replied. My voice was cracked and broken, as if I hadn't used it in a long time. "What…what am I doing here?"

"You tell me," Jeremy shrugged, "Some hiker found you in the woods, unconscious, and called the ambulance. You've been here ever since. What were you doing in the woods?"

"I-I don't know," I massaged my temples. I was getting a headache. Some hiker found me? "Where are Damon and Stefan?"

Jeremy looked at me curiously as he sat down on my bed. "Um…Stefan?" He asked in a strange voice.

"Yeah, where is he?"

Jeremy swallowed, "Sis, Stefan's on his honeymoon, remember?"

"_What_?" I practically shouted. A part of me was excited that I had managed to leave the previous world, but another part of me was in shock that I had arrived in yet another world that wasn't my own. I had thought that by going through the portal, I could get home. Yet I neglected the fact that the portal might bring me to different worlds. Another parallel universe. Another place that wasn't home.

And in this place, Stefan was married. _Married_. To someone who wasn't me!

"Who's the girl?" I demanded.

Jeremy raised his eyebrows, "I forgot. Katie, or Cathy, or…something."

"Katherine?" I whispered.

"Oh, right. That." Jeremy said.

It was like my nightmare come true. Stefan with Katherine. No, not just _with_ Katherine, _married to _Katherine. I buried my head in my hands. This was a little too much to take.

"Are you okay?" Jeremy patted my back, "Why is this so surprising to you? You went to the wedding, remember?"

I shook my head. "Where's Damon then?" I asked in a small voice, hoping the Damon in this world stayed the same.

"He's on his way. I have to get to school, but don't worry, Damon's gonna be here in a few minutes." Jeremy assured me. It was weird that he trusted Damon so much. His tone was even admiring, as if he looked up to Damon. Had I entered a world where Jeremy and Damon actually got along with each other?

"Can't I just go home?" I asked. I felt very tired, and I didn't want to stay here.

"Sorry," Jeremy shook his head, "You'll have to stay the night here."

I sighed and nodded.

A knock on the door startled me. Both of us turned to look at the door as Damon walked in. I was so relieved to see him that I wasn't even aware of the fact that I had been holding my breath. Yet he wasn't smirking. There was no trace of a smile on his face. He looked dead serious, and that scared me a little.

Jeremy patted Damon's shoulder, "Take care of her, man." He said on his way out.

As soon as the door was closed behind us, Damon used his abnormal speed to reach my bed. He pulled me out of it and pinned me against the wall, almost choking me.

I was in surprise. Damon had _never_ been so crude with me, whatever world I was in. I gasped and tried to pry his hand off of my throat, but he was far too strong.

"You're going to have to tell me who the hell you are," He snarled in my ear.

"I'm not Katherine!" I gasped.

"I know," He replied, "You have a heartbeat. But you're not Elena either, so who are you?"

"I _am_ Elena!" I choked out.

"Damon, what are you doing?" Asked another voice. A female voice. "Let go of her! She's choking!"

I saw someone who looked exactly like me rush through the door. The Elena in this world, no doubt.

"We came here to ask her who she was, not kill her!" She scolded Damon.

"If this is another one of Katherine's plot –"

"It's not! She has a heartbeat, can't you hear it?" She asked. Even though I was still choking, I couldn't help thinking about what she said. She was Elena, wasn't she? So how could she _possibly _hear my heartbeat?

She came up to us with abnormal speed and pushed Damon back with such great force that Damon bumped into the hospital bed and knocked it into the wall.

I gasped and massaged my throat as I looked up at the other Elena standing in front of me. I couldn't believe it, yet it was true. I had a million questions, but my voice wouldn't work yet. Instead, I stared at her in disbelief. It was impossible, yet it was real.

She was a vampire.

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**Okay, this was originally two chapters, but I wanted to write about how the Elena in the second world was a vampire, so I made a few changes and put two chapters together into one. :P**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I see a lot of familiar names and I can't say how happy I am to read your reviews! **

**And thanks to quite a few people who liked my premise of parallel universe! *wink* Because it's Sci-Fi, I might make a lot of mistakes, so you're gonna have to overlook that.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5. The Second World**

"You're a vampire?" I asked shakily as I got up slowly. I was standing with my back to the wall, staring at this surreal Elena in front of me. I know what Slater said, yet I couldn't believe this. I couldn't believe that I would _willingly_ choose to give up my humanity.

"_We'll_ ask the questions." Damon snapped.

I looked at the pair of them. Oh, God. Please don't tell me that the Elena in this world was with Damon too. This was just too much.

She shot him a warning glance and helped me up to the askew hospital bed, "We got a call from Jeremy saying that _I_ had been found in the woods and sent to the hospital. Now you're claiming to be _me_. Maybe you can explain this thing?"

I took a deep breath and began talking. I told them everything about the last world and how I had gotten there. I told them about what I knew about parallel universes and the portal. I told them about my original world. I told them everything.

For a half an hour, I spoke into the silence. Vampire Elena was a very good listener. Damon interrupted a few times though. But when he heard the part about me traveling through universes and that I was indeed Elena, his whole attitude changed towards me. Immediately, he apologized for attacking me.

After I was finished talking, both of them were staring at me in awe.

"I-I can't believe this. Tell me about your world," Vampire Elena pressed on, very intrigued about that particular topic, "What was it like?"

"Well, for starters, I wasn't a vampire." I said, still having a hard time digesting that piece of information.

She stopped smiling and glanced at Damon. They seemed to be having a silent conversation. I was so curious that I had to stop myself from bursting with questions.

After a long pause, she turned back to me, "I just turned two months ago. I'm getting used to everything."

"But why?" I asked.

She dropped her gaze, "…It was the only way to stop the curse from happening. Klaus was too strong to fight against, and Elijah died trying…"

"What?" I whispered.

"We couldn't find a way to break the curse," Damon spoke up solemnly, reaching over to grab Vampire Elena's hand. She gave him a tiny smile.

"But that was only part of the reason," She continued without even looking at me. She was looking intently at Damon, "I wanted to be with him. We've discussed me changing a few times before the curse happened, and when Klaus set to capture me, becoming a vampire became…inevitable." She twirled her fingers into Damon's, "But it was all worth it. You should know." She told me.

"I _don't_." I replied, "It's different back in my world."

"How?"

I sighed, "We're still working on breaking the curse. And-And I'm…dating Stefan back there." I said to my knees, looking anywhere but them. It was very weird to admit that it front of them. I couldn't believe it. They were a couple _here_ too. Had I chosen Damon over Stefan in every other world except my own? Did that mean that choosing Stefan was a…mistake, and I was really meant to be with Damon?

I shook my head. Where did that come from? All this traveling through universes is messing with my thoughts. I couldn't think clearly.

"Stefan?" Asked Vampire Elena incredulously.

I clamped my jaw shut. Why is it that in every world, the Elenas there were shocked by the piece of information of me dating Stefan?

"Was I with Katherine, then?" Damon asked good-naturedly as he came up to me, a grin plastered to his handsome face.

"No, you were just alone." I replied, deciding not to tell him about Rose.

"Well, that's just sad." Damon said, feigning a hurt look with shoulders slumping. Vampire Elena giggled and put her arm around him.

I stood up and walked away from the pair of them. I still couldn't believe she was a vampire, and they were together. It was a lot to take in. I had never thought that I would somehow choose to be a vampire. And even if I did, I never thought one of the reasons would be to be with Damon forever. I mean, I've never even thought about that with Stefan. Sure, he was going to live forever, while I was going to age and die, but I've always thought that was so far into the future and that I didn't need to worry about it right now. I had thought of turning for Stefan once or twice, but I never _seriously_ considered it. I couldn't believe that in this world, I turned. For Damon.

"You know," Vampire Elena said suddenly, "You have the _perfect_ timing. I-I need you to do me a favor."

"What?" I asked doubtfully.

"Well…" She fidgeted around in her seat, "There are some unwelcomed vampires in Mystic Falls, so Sheriff Forbes is providing _everyone_ with vervain. The Lockwoods are throwing a party tomorrow, and me and Damon, we're supposed to go. But all the food is made with vervain."

"Yeah?" Even as the question left my mouth, I knew what she was going to ask of me.

She sighed. "No one knows I've turned yet except for Damon and Stefan. And if I don't eat anything, it'll look really suspicious. Could you maybe…go as me?"

"If the food's made of vervain, Damon can't eat anything either." I stated.

"They already know about me," Damon shrugged, "And what do you know? They still love me." He winked at me.

I looked at Vampire Elena. She looked like a kid who did something wrong as she stared at the ground and wouldn't meet my eye. I couldn't believe this. No one knew she had turned? No one knew she wasn't human anymore?

"So you're just practically lying to everyone that cares about you?" I whispered.

"I had to." She said back in a defeated voice, "Aunt Jenna can't know, and neither can Jeremy, it would just kill them. I couldn't tell Bonnie either because of the way she felt towards vampires, and especially after what happened with Caroline…"

"What happened to Caroline?" I asked, fear bubbling inside me.

Vampire Elena raised her eyes, and I saw tears in them. "She's…she's gone."

"Gone?" I repeated.

She swallowed and looked away. Her voice sounded strange and forced as she spoke to the ground, "Katherine turned her. Caroline didn't want to be a vampire, especially when her own mother hunted them. She refused to feed, and after a while, she just…she…she…" She gulped and couldn't go on anymore.

Damon gathered her into his arms and hugged her to his chest.

I felt tears burning in my eyes as well. Caroline, Bonnie, and me; we were always together. We went through so much. How could Caroline just…leave us? Deep in my heart, I admired her for her bravery. If it were me who was turned, I would have fed to complete the transition because I was afraid of death. Caroline was braver than that.

I wiped a hand across my cheek as inconspicuously as I could, but Damon noticed it anyway. He pulled me up by my wrist and hugged me too, so I was wrapped in some sort of a group hug with Vampire Elena and Damon. It was weird, but I felt better being so close to the two of them. It almost made everything okay. Almost.

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.

I was wearing a huge hat with my hair tucked inside and huge sunglasses that covered half my face. I was also dressed as different as possible from Vampire Elena. She was wearing jeans and a T-shirt with Converse sneakers, while I was wearing one of those frilly summer dresses I never really liked and ridiculously high heels.

Damon was simply _elated_ as he walked down the street, one arm around her and one arm around me. He had compelled the nurse to let me out and was now taking me shopping for a dress for tomorrow's event. We attracted a lot of attention because Mystic Falls was a small town and Vampire Elena knew just about everybody. Nearly everyone came up to greet us and asked who I was.

I couldn't speak because Vampire Elena and I had the same voice, so she spoke for me. Sometimes she said I was her cousin, sometimes she said I was her stepsister.

When we finally got to the stores, Damon left us immediately, having zero interests in shopping. He went to set up my room at the Boarding House.

If what I had encountered so far could be categorized as weird, this was the weirdest event up-to-date to be shopping with _yourself_. Obviously, Vampire Elena and I had the same taste. But we busied ourselves and looked around for a while before we found the perfect dress.

"So…tell me about Damon," I said absently. I hadn't asked about Stefan because I didn't really want any details of him with Katherine.

Vampire Elena's whole face lit up at the mention of his name, "You mean about me and Damon?" She asked joyously, a smile on her face. It was like I had just asked her her favorite question in the world.

"Yes."

She smiled again. She looked like a young girl in love. Again, I looked away. I wasn't used to seeing my own face with that dreamy expression.

"I never really believed in love at first sight." She admitted, "Before I met Damon, that is. The first time I saw him, I _knew_. I knew he was…_the one_. Do you know that feeling?"

"No." I shook my head. I searched my memory of the first time I met Stefan. Was it love at first sight? I thought he was mysterious and good looking and everything. But that was it. I had never had the feeling she was describing, and a part of me felt bad about it.

"Well, that was what it was like for me." She continued. She said all this like she was singing due to how happy she sounded, "He mistook me for Katherine at first," She made a face, "But when we started talking, we realized how much we…_connected_. You know?"

"No." I shook my head again as I looked through the dresses on the racks in front of me. Vampire Elena was talking about something I knew absolutely nothing of. I thought I would understand her completely because she was me, but what she had just said was of no familiarity to me. My heart fell when I thought of how I never had these feelings with Stefan. Could it be that...I wasn't supposed to be with Stefan in the first place? My thoughts traced over to the Damon in the first world again. I missed him. I missed him so much, and I missed everything about him. His protectiveness, his arrogance, his passion… I remembered the kisses so clearly that it was like it had just happened a moment ago.

"A few months after that, we started dating," Vampire Elena sighed happily, "And it was so different from all my previous relationships. I-I can't describe it, but I've never felt like that. I love him so much." She finished softly, pulling out a beautiful satin dress by the hanger and handing it to me, "I think this is the one."

"It's beautiful," I stared at the sapphire blue dress and caressed the soft fabric, "In the first world that I traveled to," I said slowly, stepping into the changing room and talking through the door to her, "You were with Damon too."

She laughed delightedly, "Of course I would be."

The way she said it made me a little uncomfortable. What did that mean? That no matter which world I was in, I should be with Damon? I didn't continue the conversation and changed the topic, "So you never had any feelings towards Stefan?"

"Stefan?" She asked back perplexedly, "I just met him a few months ago. All I know is he's Damon's brother, who's marrying Damon's ex-girlfriend, and he's sort of boring."

I zipped myself up and came out of the changing room, "Stefan isn't boring." I said indignantly.

Vampire Elena blinked, "Oh, I'm sorry, you were dating him, weren't you? I didn't mean to offend you."

I said nothing as I looked at myself in the mirror with Vampire Elena standing behind me. I felt homesick again as my stomach clenched together. I missed Damon horribly. I mean, Stefan. I missed _Stefan_ horribly. I can't believe I just thought of Damon before Stefan. I must be really stressed.

"You look beautiful," Vampire Elena said softly.

The stores clerk came up us with a smile on her face, "Indeed you do. My, you girls look _identical_." She commented when she saw our faces. I had taken off my hat and sunglasses when I was in the changing room. "Are you two sisters?" She asked pleasantly.

"Stepsisters."

"Cousins."

We both answered at the same time.

My face redden as I desperately tried to correct myself, "Um, cousins first, t-then stepsisters." I said even though I knew I didn't make sense.

Seeing the confused look on the clerk's face, Vampire Elena sighed and came up to face her.

"Please forget you ever met us," She compelled exasperatedly.

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.

"You ready?" Damon asked, putting him arms around my waist as we arrived in front of the huge Lockwood Mansion.

"Not really." I admitted nervously as I tightened my grip on my purse, which Vampire Elena lent me.

Damon looked at ease as he guided me into the mansion. I couldn't help but notice how _good_ he looked in a suit. His hair was pushed back from his face in an amazingly sexy way, and his deep blue eyes seemed to speak to me. How come I've never noticed that before? Was it the fact that I was in another world?

I linked my arm through Damon's as we walked around the room and talked to various people. It was a good thing I came instead of Vampire Elena because Sheriff Forbes offered me vervain filled cakes two times. I accepted both times to be polite.

When music came on, Damon asked me to dance, surprising me. He was an amazing dancer as he twirled me around. I was having way too much fun. I never thought I could have this much fun without Stefan, but…

"Did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight?" Damon murmured in my ear as a slow song came up and he hugged me close and slow danced with me.

He did. About a million times. But I smiled nonetheless, "You can always tell me again."

He smirked at me in reply. Ever so slowly, he bent his head towards me. I knew what was coming, and my heart immediately sped up, almost jumping into my throat. I didn't want to admit it, but I was hoping this would happen. I was hoping he'd kiss me. I kept going over the last time we kissed, which was in the rain by the lake, right before I went into the portal, and that was epic. It was always epic when it was with him. I couldn't explain it. It was so different from what I experienced with Stefan, and different in a good way.

His lips came closer and I tipped my head slightly. My breathing quickened as I saw my own reflection in those startling blue eyes. I had been waiting for way too long. All of my emotions rose up to the surface as he continued to lean towards me. I didn't care that we were at a party and that loads of people were around. I didn't even care about Stefan at that moment. I just knew I wanted to kiss him so much that every second seemed to pass by in slow motion.

He was way too close now. So close that I could count his eyelashes. His hand around me pulled me closer still, and our lips were about to meet when –

"Excuse me," Said a male voice, "May I borrow you for a dance?"

Damon and I jumped away from each other. Damon had an annoyed look on his face as he looked at the speaker. I was annoyed myself of being interrupted.

Both of us were surprised to see Stefan there.

"Stefan." Damon's smirk was back in place in less than a second, "Back already? Was the honeymoon not…satisfying?" He hinted.

Stefan smiled easily, "Actually, it was great. Kathy wanted to be back in time for the party."

Kathy? _Kathy?_ I tried to refrain from choking. I hope I did a good impression of it. It scared me when I realized I cared more about kissing Damon than seeing Stefan after so long. Right now, I just wanted him to go away so Damon and I could finally kiss. What was the matter with me? Stefan was my boyfriend here.

_Your boyfriend who's married to someone else._ I thought grimly. I just couldn't believe that in one of the parallel universes, Stefan would choose Katherine over me. Did that mean that back in my world, there was a chance of this happening too?

"Elena?" Stefan held out his hand to me, "A dance?"

I looked at Damon, and he nodded back, so I put my hand in Stefan's and gave him a tight smile, "Sure." I said. But I didn't feel so sure. This seemed just like the Stefan back home, but I felt so far away from him, and so awkward with him. What was happening here? This was _Stefan_. So why was my back arched up and my body so stiff that I was actually aching?

Stefan's hand on my waist was relaxed though. "So how's it going with my brother?"

"Oh, great." I said, though I didn't really know that.

"And the craving?" Stefan asked, "How're you handling that?"

"What craving?" I said blankly.

Stefan looked at me curiously, "The…craving for blood. I thought you just turned a few months ago."

"Oh! Right." I said. It seemed like Stefan couldn't hear my heartbeat over all the music and talking and dancing, which was, of course, understandable, "Um…It's getting a lot better." I lied, trying to sound convincing. _What are you doing, Elena?_ I asked myself. _This is __**Stefan**__. You can tell Stefan anything! You can just tell him you traveled through universes and got here._

…_And then maybe he'd think you were crazy._

I thought of how Vampire Elena told me she had only known Stefan for a few months. It wasn't really proper to tell him these things if I only just met him, right? I was trying to convince myself. Somehow, I didn't want to get into the whole parallel universe thing with him. I didn't know why.

"Stefan?" I heard someone coo his name. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as I recognized the voice. I let go of Stefan and stopped dancing immediately.

Like I had suspected, it was Katherine.

I backed away from her.

"Kathy," Stefan smiled and bent down to kiss her. She kissed him back right in front of me hungrily and twirled her thin arms around his waist.

"Why don't you get us some drinks, Stefan?" Katherine asked, breaking out of the kiss and locking eyes with me, "I want to catch up with Elena."

As soon as Stefan went off, Katherine's smile turned into a sneer, which made me so uncomfortable that I was squirming.

"Still with Damon." She stated, not really expecting an answer as she walked around me. I hated how she intimidated me. "Still together." She said in my ear, "Wonder how long that'll last."

I said nothing. My back was rigid as my eyes searched the room for Damon. I wanted him to come save me from this. I wanted Stefan to come back with our drinks. I wanted anyone to come and break off this conversation.

"I was the first choice." Katherine said softly, smirking now, "It was always me." She said in a sing song voice, "Did you wonder why Damon dated you in the first place? Because you looked like me. You're a duplicate, you know that? A _replacement_. Nothing more." She finished with a shrug.

I was shaking with anger. "I'm not." I told her in a cold voice, "And you're nothing like me. Damon's dating me because he loves me. He loves me like he's _never_ loved you."

Katherine looked a little stunned at my outburst, "Maybe that's so," She said coolly, "But he loved me first. He _turned_ for me. And then he loved me for 145 years." Satisfied at my silence now, her smirk came back, "Which is more than I can say about you."

"I –"

Suddenly, Damon came up from behind and took my hand. He stared at Katherine with such hatred that it scared me a little, let alone her.

"Leave my girlfriend alone, Katherine." Damon said coldly, his voice dangerous, "And for the record, I didn't _turn_ for you. I didn't have a choice. But Elena turned for me so we could be together. Forever. And what can I say? An eternity is way longer than 145 years."

And with that, he walked away from her, still holding my hand. I followed him happily. I was singing inside at how he stood up for me. My smile faded a little when I realized it wasn't _me_ he stood up for, it was Vampire Elena. This wasn't even my life. This wasn't my world.

"She didn't shake you up, did she?" Damon asked as he put him arm around me.

"No," I said with a smile as I leaned against him.

"The way you talked back to her…" Damon smirked, "…It made me wonder why the _hell_ you're not with me back in your world."

"Sometimes I wonder about that too." I admitted in a small voice.

Damon said no more and took both my hands in his. He tipped my chin so I would look at him and I once again lost myself in his eyes. I couldn't help it. They keep sucking me in. I never had that problem with Stefan's eyes.

"Would _this_ make you reconsider?" Damon asked pompously.

Then he dipped his head and slowly kissed me.

I had been waiting for this for so long. All my blood rushed to my head as his lips met mine. It was _incredible_. It was like _fireworks._ I wasn't even thinking about Stefan as Damon took me in his arms. I raised my arms to circle his neck. We were so close that we were practically the same person. I was kissing Damon. And I _loved_ it.

I had _never_ been kissed like this. I had _never_ felt like this. What was happening to me? I deepened the kiss gasped against his lips. He kissed so passionately and expertly that he's swooping me off my feet. I could barely stand. It was a good thing he was holding me because I wasn't sure my legs were working at that moment.

Slowly, we broke apart.

My chest was heaving and I was pretty sure I was blushing like mad, but I couldn't help it. Damon noticed this, of course, and he had a sly look on his face as he kissed me gently again.

I smiled. I felt so happy, and I didn't even know why.

Being with Damon was like a dream I never needed to wake up from. Suddenly I felt jealous of Vampire Elena for having an eternity with him.

I didn't get to deal with my thoughts or figure them out, because at that moment, it started raining. I jerked my head around to the windows. Sure enough, rain drops splattered on them.

Like Cinderella leaving the ballroom when the clock struck twelve, I picked up my dress with my hands and fled the room, making my way towards the door as quickly as I could without actually running.

"Elena!" Damon called behind me and followed me through the crowd. We almost knocked over a few people as we finally got out of the mansion. "Elena, where're you going?" Damon yelled behind me.

I kicked off my heels so I could run better, but Damon was beside me in a flash, "Elena?"

"I'm sorry." I said to him, "I'm so sorry, Damon, but I have to go."

"Go where?" He asked, bewildered, "Can't it wait? It's raining."

"I know." I replied, starting to walk across the lawn, "That's why I have to go. I'm sorry."

Damon grabbed me and whirled me around so I was facing him, "Elena, if this is about that kiss…"

"It's not!" I cried. The last thing I wanted was for him to think that, "It's the portal, Damon. It opens when it rains. And I-I don't know when it'll close."

Damon let go of me and picked me up, making me shriek, "Tell me where."

"I-In the woods." I gasped as he used his inhuman speed. It was raining heavier now and I wished I didn't have to go as he rushed us across town. I wanted more time here. More time with Damon and Vampire Elena. They were teaching me so much, and they didn't even know it.

I was _very_ homesick, yet somehow I knew I'd miss this place too. I didn't want to leave so soon.

We were in the woods in mere seconds. I instructed Damon to get to the center of the woods, where the lake lied. He asked no questions.

"Damon," I started breathlessly.

"I wish you didn't have to leave," Damon said back, "But I know you have to go home. Don't worry, I understand."

I nodded. I knew he would. He always did.

We reached the center of the woods and Damon set me down.

Suddenly all my other feelings leaked away and I was left with only fear inside me. I couldn't believe it. I didn't know what went wrong. This wasn't possible.

I knew the woods by heart, and I knew the place of the lake. The rain was dying slowly, and if I don't get to the whirlpool in time, the portal would close. I _needed_ to get to the lake.

But I was standing in the middle of the woods, on the cold, wet ground, surrounded by nothing but trees. Nothing more.

There _was_ no lake.

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**Looks like Elena's gonna have to be in the second world a little longer! Yay! :P**

**More Vampire Elena the next chapter. I have it all planned out…*wink* Hope you'll find it interesting!**

**Many thanks to the reviews! I can't tell you how much I appreciated them. They always give me INCREDIBLE ideas. Sometimes when I'm reading your reviews and your hypothesis about how the story might turn out, I think YOU might write more interesting chapters because of your WONDERFUL imagination! :D**

**Please keep reviewing! I love them. ;)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6. The Second World**

How could there be no lake? That was impossible. _Impossible._ The rain was barely there anymore, just a small drizzle, and I knew that even if a lake magically turned up in front of me, it would be too late. The portal, wherever it was, was closed.

"Where's the lake?" I asked desperately, walking aimlessly around the trees and hoping I'd come across it.

Damon followed me with a confused look on his face, "Elena, there's no lake in these woods."

"That's impossible," I told him, "If there was no lake, how'd I get here in the first place?"

That was question no one could answer at the moment. Feeling alone and scared, I leant against a wet tree trunk. I didn't understand. I tried to go over my memories of how I came to the second world, but all I remembered was waking up in a hospital bed and Jeremy telling me some hiker found me unconscious in the woods.

I wiped a hand across my wet forehead. Needless to say, my dress was ruined. And I had left my heels back at the Lockwood party. I owed Vampire Elena an apology for that; she had lent me those shoes.

"Elena," Damon said gently, taking my hand. He was wet too, but he took no notice of that, "There's nothing here. Let's go back."

He was right. There was nothing here except for trees. And it had stopped raining too. Looks like I've missed the portal.

"…Okay." I finally said after a long pause.

I was trembling due to the cold, but also due to the fear inside me. What if the portal only opens _once_ in each world? I've just missed this one. Did that mean that I was…stuck here? An involuntary shudder passed through me at that thought. I tried to think about anything but that.

Damon hugged me close as he led me through the woods. By the time we reached the Boarding House, my feet were wet and covered in mud. Damon immediately drew me a bath. After making sure I had settled in, he left for Vampire Elena's house.

I leant back in the bathtub and closed my eyes. It had been a very stressing day, and I didn't want to think about anything at the moment. I wondered what Damon and Vampire Elena were doing right now. I felt grumpy that he had left me for her. Was I getting jealous again? Of myself? I squeezed my eyes shut and forced myself to think about Stefan instead.

Yet all that came to mind was Stefan and Katherine. _Why_ did they have to get _married_? Didn't he _know _how evil and selfish she was? I just couldn't believe that Stefan would choose Katherine in an alternative universe.

"_I was the first choice." _Katherine had said to me, _"It was always me."_

My stomach clenched together when I realized that she was Stefan's first choice as well. I could read Damon like a book. When he started to hate Katherine, all that was written on his face. But Stefan…Stefan was different. He kept to himself. And he kept that picture of Katherine all those years. I had no idea what was going on in his head.

How could I be so sure that he's forgotten all about her when in another world, he chose to _marry_ her? I couldn't believe I was doubting Stefan's feelings for me. All the time we've been together, I had never for one second thought he didn't love me. I swallowed. It was Katherine. She got to my head. I wouldn't be thinking of all this if it weren't for her.

Suddenly, a high pitched giggle reached my ears, followed by a low chuckle and the sound of a door closing. Someone was home. And judging by the giggle that sounded strangely like mine, except shriller, it must be Damon and Vampire Elena. I sighed and sank deeper into the tub, trying to close their voices out.

The girlish giggle soon turned into a cackle which I had never used in my entire life. I sat up straight. It wasn't Vampire Elena after all. It was Katherine. And Stefan. Oh, _great_.

"I hear movements," Katherine said tauntingly, "There's someone here, Stefan. I wonder who?"

I hurried got out of the tub and grabbed a towel to wrap around me. I was barely finished with the process before the door was kicked open and Katherine walked in, followed closely by her husband, my _boyfriend_, Stefan.

Being barefoot and almost naked, I was definitely in a vulnerable state.

Katherine gave a fake gasp as she saw me, "My, my, Elena, _alone_ in the tub? Wherever did Damon –" She stopped abruptly.

I gulped. Away from the loud noise in the party, I was pretty sure my heartbeat sounded like a foghorn to them. I tried to calm down and slow my breathing, but somehow I did the exact opposite and even I myself can hear my heart pounding loudly in my ears.

"Well," Katherine said softly, "That's very interesting. Don't you think, Stefan?"

"I thought you said Damon turned you…" Stefan peered at me curiously.

"Maybe he forgot," A cold smile crept up Katherine's face, "Maybe we ought to finish what he started."

"Stay away from me." I said, trying my best to keep my voice even. _I'm not afraid of her. I'm not afraid of her._ I repeated in my mind.

Katherine threw back her head and laughed; it was the most unpleasant thing I've ever heard.

In a flash, she was standing right behind me. Her cold hands crept up my neck and forced me to tilt it until her teeth rested right on my blood vessels. "Won't Damon be surprised when he finds out that instead of Vampire Elena, he got Dead Elena?" She said in a horrible whisper.

"Stefan!" I choked out.

Stefan made no movements of saving me, "Kathy, come on, this is a bit too much, don't you think?"

"I thought you said I looked sexy when I bit," Katherine pouted behind me, not loosening her death grip on my neck and shoulders. I practically gagged at what she said.

"Bite someone else then," Stefan said exasperatedly, "Do you really want Damon to come after us?"

"You mean the three of us together again? Just like old times…" Katherine replied.

"Come on, Kathy," Stefan turned to leave, "Let's just go."

I was still struggling in Katherine's clutch, but my attempts were futile. She was way too strong for me. A part of me couldn't believe that Stefan wasn't even trying to pry Katherine off of me. He was just convincing her not to kill me in a bored voice. Was this really Stefan?

"A taste first," Katherine growled and sank her teeth into my flesh.

My screams were all I could hear.

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When I woke up, I was lying on the living room couch, covered with a blanket. I moaned and brought my fingers to my neck. There was no wound. I still ached all over, but I wasn't bleeding, and there was no sign of an injury.

"You awake?" Someone asked. I tried to sit up, but he pushed me back down again. It was Damon.

"Yeah…" I groaned, my eyelids feeling very heavy.

"Here, drink some water," Vampire Elena approached me and handed me a glass. "You still have Damon's blood inside your system, so don't kill yourself for the next 24 hours, okay?"

I nodded and gulped down the cold water, "What happened? Where's Katherine? And Stefan?"

Vampire Elena sat down at my feet on the couch, "Damon sort of…freaked out. He almost killed both of them when we came home and found out she bit you."

"I did not freak not," Damon corrected, "I over-reacted a _little_ bit."

"You plunged a stake into Katherine's chest and missed the heart by inches." Vampire Elena stated.

"I know," Damon shrugged and sighed, "Better luck next time."

"How're you feeling?" She turned to me.

"Like someone just bit into my neck…" I confessed, rubbing it. At least I wasn't in any life threatening danger anymore. I still couldn't believe Stefan would let Katherine just bite me like that. I shifted uncomfortably when I wondered whether Stefan himself drank my blood or not. No. Stefan wouldn't do that. …Would he?

Vampire Elena helped me up. "Thanks for going to the party for me tonight," She said sincerely, "And I'm really sorry about Katherine."

"It's not your fault." I told her. I felt weird again because she was thanking me. Because she _was_ me, so basically, she was thanking herself. However, I did feel a little better that Damon was so protective of me. Even though I knew I was dating Stefan back home, I wished with all my heart that I wouldn't see him or his Kathy anymore. I think I've had enough of him in this world.

Furtive knocks on the door jerked me back to reality. Damon went over immediately and swung the door open, leaving Vampire Elena to sit by me. I couldn't see who it was, but her voice sounded very familiar.

"_Damon!_" She said. There was a loud kissing sound. I sincerely hoped it was a kiss on the cheek for Vampire Elena's sake.

"Kelly?" I could hear Damon's smirk through his voice, "You're back in town?"

I suddenly knew who it was. And from the look on Vampire Elena's face and her tensed back, I was pretty sure she knew too.

The woman laughed pleasantly, "Just for a few days." Her voice suddenly dropped mysteriously, "Thought I'd drop by for a little one of our late night workouts." She hinted.

A look of disbelief and hurt flickered across Vampire Elena's face as the both of us understood what the woman just meant. I swallowed. I couldn't believe Damon was unfaithful to her. I thought they were…soul mates. Or at least very close to being soul mates. Somehow, Damon cheating on Vampire Elena was even more shocking than Stefan marrying Katherine.

I watched Vampire Elena stand up indignantly. She did not look at me as she made for the front door, her jaw clenched.

"Hello," I heard Vampire Elena say in a cold voice to the woman at the door.

"Elena!" The woman sure sounded surprised. There was a silence, which I assumed they were hugging, "What are you doing here?"

"What are _you_ doing here, Mrs. Donovan?" Vampire Elena asked back rudely.

Another silence. I was guessing that Kelly Donovan knew what was going on.

"Well," Kelly said awkwardly, "Forgive me. I didn't know Damon Salvatore did girlfriends."

"He does now." Vampire Elena replied in the same icy voice.

"Yes. Yes, I see that." Kelly laughed uncomfortably, "Well, then, I'll be off. Take care, Damon. Elena."

The sound of a door closing.

I scrambled up from the sofa, but before I could take a step, both of them burst into the living room. Vampire Elena looked so angry that I felt a little afraid for Damon. I wanted to give them privacy, but neither of them took notice of my existence as they started a heatedly conversation.

"Kelly Donovan?" Vampire Elena demanded hotly, "How could you, Damon!"

"Elena," Damon said calmly, "It's not what you think. I would never cheat on you. Yes, we used to…sleep together, but that was _ages_ ago! Way before I even met you. Whenever she came into town, we would –"

"Okay! Enough information!" Vampire Elena interrupted, cutting him off, "But, still, Damon, how come you never told me?"

Damon looked surprised, "I didn't think it was relevant."

"It's irrelevant that you used to sleep with _my ex-boyfriend's mother_?" Vampire Elena threw her hands up, "T-This is just too weird, what with Matt and Kelly and…now you…" She buried her face in her hands, "I-I have to leave."

"Elena," Damon said, grabbing her wrist, but she threw him off with amazing force.

I watched Vampire Elena stomp to the door and walk out, slamming it shut behind her so hard that it came off its hinges.

"Elena!" Damon called after her, but she was already gone.

Swearing, Damon turned around and caught sight of me. I had been trying to tip toe back into my room, but that seemed impossible now. Damon raced to my side in less than a second and grabbed my shoulders, almost shaking me due to how strong he was.

"Elena, please, you're the same person, aren't you? What can I do to make this right?" He asked desperately.

"I – well – I," I spluttered in surprise. Never had I seen Damon in such a state. His brows are furrowed together, and his eyes were pleading and frustrated. There were even tiny beads of sweat on his forehead. He must really be serious about her.

"Please," He said again, not letting go of me.

I sighed, "Well…you should have told her about Kelly."

"I didn't know Kelly was going to show up and demand a night of –"

"Yeah, okay, got that!" I said quickly, "No, I meant you should have told her anyhow. She and Matt grew up together. She knew Kelly pretty well before Kelly ran off. She has a right to know these things."

Damon sighed too, "You're right." He finally let go of me, "I have to go see Elena."

"Let her cool down first." I suggested. I knew this was good advice because this was _me_ we were talking about. I knew _my_ habits. "Give her a few hours, okay? And when you want to find her, she'll be –"

"–in her room, I know." Damon finished.

I looked at him in surprise. I was awed and amazed that he knew her habits – my habits – so well. Back in my world, Damon and I were friends, good friends, but I never expected him to understand me like Stefan did. Or, better than Stefan did.

Damon pulled on his jacket and made for the door.

"Damon!" I rushed to follow him, "I told you, give her a few hours. She's going to want to think this over."

Damon did not stop in his tracks, "I have to see her." He repeated in a serious voice.

"Look, Damon," I said exasperatedly, "I _know _her. I _am_ her. I'd know what she'd want, okay?"

Damon turned around to look at me. His beautiful blue eyes were determined. He was wearing a frown that looked more worried than upset. And he was looking at me so intently that I froze altogether. No one had ever looked at me like that. Not even Stefan. I couldn't describe it, but…

"Elena," He said softly but adamantly, "I have to go after her."

"But–"

"I know her. Elena, I do. I know she'd want to think things through before talking to me, but I am _not _leaving her alone right now. Or, ever. You were right; I should have told her about Kelly Donovan." He took a deep breath and continued to look at me that way, "But what I have with Elena? It's amazing. It's something that I didn't think I deserved. Before I met her, I was like a walking corpse. She was this…breath of life to me. I don't think I started living – or, non-living – until I met her. The two of us, we _have_ something. Something so damn amazing that for every minute of every day, I keep thinking I'm the luckiest guy in the world. I can't lose her. I can't even take the _tiniest_ risk of losing her. Because I love her so _damn_ much." He came up to me and his hands came up to caress my face, "She's the best thing that ever happened to me. And right now, I have to make this right, because I can't _ever_ be without her. So please, Elena…what can I say to her to make this right again?"

I was stunned. My feet were glued to the ground. I could actually feel tears in my eyes, which was just ridiculous because that speech – that wonderful speech – wasn't even dedicated to _me_. It was to her, and I wasn't even a part of it.

I had been with Stefan for a long time, and never had he expressed himself like that to me. I was so moved right this moment that I really couldn't understand why I was with Stefan in the first place. It was a scary thought, but right now, I would have given just about anything to be Vampire Elena in this world. To be loved by Damon this much.

A tear rolled out of my eye even though I was furiously trying to blink it back. Damon wiped it away with his thumb and stared down at me.

"You…" I started. My voice was breaking, as if I had been crying for hours, "…You can tell her exactly what you just told me."

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Two days after that Kelly Donovan incident, Damon and Vampire Elena were together and as happy as ever. It was funny that while fights broke couples up, they seemed to pull Damon and her even closer together. I guess that when two people are _really_ in love, nothing can break them apart.

My heart sank when I realized that Stefan and I had broken up before. Did that mean we weren't really in love? Lately, all I've been thinking about was Stefan and Damon. But…mostly Damon. It was like I couldn't control my thoughts anymore. I found myself endlessly comparing the two brothers, and no matter what qualities I was comparing, I always find myself leaning towards Damon.

My feelings towards Damon were changing. There was no use denying it, because it was true. I found myself constantly staring at Damon and Vampire Elena whenever they were in sight. And I wanted so _desperately_ to have to what they had. Back in my world, I had never thought Damon and I would be in any way suitable for each other. But all this traveling through different universes was showing me how wrong I was about that. So far, in every universe that I had gotten to, I was with Damon. And _happy._ Happier than I imagined myself could be.

It was like…It was like the universe was showing me that I should be with Damon. Was that crazy talk? Or was that the truth?

I strode over to my closet and pulled off my pajamas. It was already ten in the morning and I had been in bed, reading Damon's copy of Gone With the Wind. I was really starting to understand why he liked that book too. Rhett Butler and Damon had some very similar qualities. Arrogance, for one thing.

I went through the closet for something to wear. I took out a plain T-shirt. Before I could even put it on, though, someone pushed open my door.

"Damon, some people knock!" I cried angrily, trying to cover myself up.

"Sounds rude." Damon said sarcastically, "And please, Elena. No need. Nothing I haven't seen before."

My cheeks turned crimson as I pulled the T-shirt over my head.

"It's on backwards." Damon observed.

"What do you want!" I said, crossing my arms.

"Get dressed already, I need you for a favor."

"What?" I asked, pulling on jeans now. It was very uncomfortable to dress in front of Damon. I wondered what _un_dressing in front of Damon would feel like. Oh my God. I can't believe I just thought that.

Damon paced around the room to search for my jacket, "You guys are the same person, right? So I assume you'd like the same things?"

"I guess…" I answered slowly. I wasn't sure where this was going.

"Then hurry up. We're going shopping."

"Damon, you hate shopping." I reminded him, remember how he left Vampire Elena and me when we were picking out a dress for the Lockwood's party.

"Not this kind of shopping." Damon smirked. His eyes were sparkling.

I rolled my eyes, "Please don't tell me it's lingerie."

Damon raised his eyebrows, "I like your way of thinking, but sadly….no."

Now I felt really intrigued. I hurried to follow him as we walked down the stairs, "Then what are we shopping for?" I asked.

Damon stopped walking and turned around to smirk at me. It was such a mischievous smirk, but still, he looked unbelievably hot wearing it. He took my hand and led me down the stairs.

"A ring." He finally replied.

My heart stopped. I couldn't believe this. Had I misunderstood?

"A walk-in-the-sun kind of ring?" I asked in a shaky voice.

"No," Damon shrugged shot me another smirk, "More like…" He hesitated purposely, "…an engagement kind of ring."

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**I was really sad that Rose died. :( I mean, of COURSE I was a DELENA fan, but I didn't want Rose to die….**

**At the end of the show, when Jules sort of indicated that there was going to be a war between werewolves and vampires, I got pretty scared. I do not want Damon to be in ANY way hurt! But then my brother was like, "Relax, will you? The vampires will win. It's called Vampire Diaries, not Werewolves Diaries." Which I thought made sense, LOL. :P**

**Anyway, please review and tell me what you think!**


	7. Chapter 7

Ok, first I have to apologize for this LONG delay. I've been extremely busy traveling, taking the APs, getting my driver's license, applying for scholarships, working, and blah blah blah, but all of those are excuses for the main reason: I got writer's block!

So I'm finally continuing with the story now. And for old readers, I suppose most of you had forgotten the plot already...But let's refresh!

Elena has been traveling through parallel universes for no apparent reason, and in every universe she comes to, she finds herself dating Damon. She had figured out that the lake in the woods is the portal and that every time it rained, a whirlpool would appear, and it would take her to a different world. As for how many worlds she'd have to travel to before returning home, that's a mystery.

Right now, she is in the Second World where the Elena here is a vampire. BEWARE: the Third World is depressing...

Again, SO SORRY for not writing for so long. Hope you'll enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter 7. The Second World**

Damon's eyes have never been so blue. He was looking up at me, down on one knee. A beautiful ring, way beyond description was in his hands, and as I looked at the sight in front of me, my heart got caught in my throat. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. I could feel tears burning in my eyes but that didn't make sense because I was so happy.

"Elena…" He whispered.

My chest heaved as I inhaled sharply. My mouth had suddenly gone dry. I couldn't speak. I could only look at him longingly and hope he says what he was about to say. It could not be any more perfect than it already was right now. I've dreamed about this when I was dating Stefan, but now that Damon was in his place, everything seemed even more perfect.

He continued to look at me with those penetrating eyes. I felt like fainting. My knees were shaking. I could hardly stand, and I was gripping the glass counter to my right with all my strength.

Damon's lips twisted into a grin, "Will you marry me?"

YES! Yes! _Yes!_ A million times _yes_! I screamed in my mind. This was it. This had to be. Why else was I feeling like jumping up and down? Why else was my heart beating so loudly that the sound was deafening? What more could I ever ask for besides _this_?

"Yes!" I said a little too enthusiastically. I didn't care. I didn't care if anyone was staring at me or was thinking I was crazy. I didn't care that I was in a very public place. I wanted this. I _wanted_ to be engaged to Damon. I meant that yes.

I extended my hand, expecting Damon to put on that gorgeous ring for me, but before I could, Damon got up swiftly and dusted his pants.

"I think this is the ring," He said in a singsong voice, still grinning, "I'll take it." He told the salesperson behind the counter.

For a minute, I stayed in the same position I was, with the same smile plastered to my face. Then I could feel my smile fading as I was brought back to reality. We were in a store, looking at rings. We fought all the way. Damon wanted to buy a _gigantic_ ring that looked more like a rock than a diamond. I convinced him I would want a smaller but more delicate one.

After a _long_ argument, I finally won. We found the _perfect_ ring shortly after that, and Damon had tried it out on me – by pretending to propose to me and seeing my reactions.

I felt so stupid. I knew he was acting from the beginning. He had asked me if it was okay if he tried it on me, and I had agreed. I had no idea it would affect me so. For a second there, I was actually convinced that Damon was indeed proposing to me and we were getting engaged. I had said yes to him not because that was what Vampire Elena would say, but because _I_ wanted to say it.

I felt my cheeks with the back of my hands. They were burning hot. What was going on with me? This was Damon here. How could I be attracted to Damon? I stole a glance at him. He was leaning over the counter with a smirk on his face, chatting with the salesperson.

A bubble of jealousy burst inside of me when I thought of how he was going to propose to someone else tonight. It didn't matter whether Vampire Elena was me or not. I wanted Damon to say those words to _me_, and me alone. I didn't want to share him.

_But you know,_ a voice inside me reminded me, _he's not yours to share._

I turned away from the sight of Damon and tried to calm down. I shouldn't have gone ring-shopping with him. This…This was changing me, in a way that I couldn't explain. I was only eighteen. How could I possibly want to be married? And to Damon? What was I thinking?

I told myself I was just caught up in the moment and that everything was an act. Yet I wasn't sure.

Damon came up from behind and put his arm around me, finally done with the purchase. He was smirking as we walked out of the store. He looked like…a man very much in love.

"What's with the long face?" He asked me. "You should be happy. I'm proposing to you tonight."

"Not to me, you're not," I said gloomily.

Damon clamped me to his side with great force, "Not jealous, are you?"

I said nothing. The truth was I _was_ jealous. Vampire Elena and Damon were getting engaged tonight. They were going to get _married_ some day. And back in my world, Stefan and I weren't even _close_ to getting there. I never really thought about that, because I was only eighteen, and marriage wasn't exactly at the top of my list. But here, in this bizarre world, it seemed like Damon had thought it all out. He really meant to be forever with me – I mean – Vampire Elena. Was I really happier with Damon?

When we got back to the Boarding House, Damon was no longer smirking. In fact, he even looked kind of nervous. He was certainly very jumpy and very uptight when I tried to help him set up the Boarding House. He wanted the place _spotless_, and when I made a small mistake, he hurried over to correct it.

I finally lost it with him when he re-arranged the flowers I put in the vase.

"Damon, she's not going to notice if the flowers didn't tilt to the right angle!" I said exasperatedly.

Damon grinned shyly, a look I have never seen before, "I want everything to be perfect." He had already put on his suit, and was fumbling with the tie.

I came up to help him with it. I couldn't help but notice how _good_ he looked in a suit. Vampire Elena was a lucky girl. That was a very weird statement, given that _I_ was Elena. I pictured what it would be like if it was _me_ Damon was proposing to, and was surprised at how longingly I wanted that to happen. If I could switch places with Vampire Elena for the proposal…it would be so worth it.

"Thanks." Damon said gratefully when I was finished with his tie.

"No problem." I said, but made no intention of moving away from him. I dusted his shoulder so I could still touch him, and I did everything in slow motion. What was I doing? I finally managed to keep my hands to myself after a lot of touching.

Damon ran a nervous hand through his hair, making it messy again in an incredibly sexy way. I stood on tiptoe to brush his hair out of his eyes. Why – _Why_ – did he have to look so good; so delicious?

He was looking at me too, his eyes seemed to speak. When I was done with his hair, I lowered my hand, but he caught it in his own. I felt my heart speed up again and wondered if he could hear it. My emotions were rising to the surface and I didn't know how to control them.

"I love you," He said softly. I practically melted at those words. Somehow they meant the world to me, like I had traveled to this universe just so I could hear him say them to me. "And I want to marry you someday, Elena," He continued.

"Me too." I admitted truthfully. My mind was screaming at me for saying that, but I didn't care. It was the truth. I _wanted_ to marry Damon someday. Was that because I lov–

Damon bent his head to kiss me, cutting off whatever thought I was having. When our lips met, I felt like flying. My knees were weak and I couldn't breathe. I felt like this every time he kissed me, no matter which world I was in. He hugged me closer, and I clung to him. I felt like exploding with happiness.

Then, suddenly, the kiss was over and Damon was nervously flattening his hair again.

"Elena's here." He explained to a bewildered me.

I nodded glumly. That was my cue to make myself scarce, I guess. I felt like the mistress as I grabbed my jacket and purse and tiptoed out of the house through the back door. I heard Vampire Elena's exclaims of surprise as she saw how Damon had decorated the Boarding House. Picking up my speed, I walked aimlessly away from the house. I know I should be happy for the couple. I know it would be ridiculous to be jealous, but I was.

It was a while before I realized it was drizzling. Numbly, I pulled my jacket closer around myself. It was time for me to leave this world again. As long as it continues to rain, the portal will be open. That is, _if_ I can even find the portal in the first place. I've been to the woods countless times already without any sign of it.

Suddenly I felt very tired. And very, very alone. Just a short distance from me was the Boarding House, where Damon was proposing to _his_ Elena. And I was standing outside in the rain, by myself, in a world I didn't belong, intruding _their_ happily ever after. I closed my eyes and leaned against a wet tree, listening intently to the rain. Now, all I wanted was to get out of here, to get away from this place and back to my life with Stefan.

_Stefan_.

He seemed like a million years ago. I haven't thought of him for so long. Guilt bubbled inside me as I realized how happy I was in this world even without him. Would Stefan ever propose to me? I thought silently, stealing a glance at the Boarding House again, wondering what the happy couple was doing.

I dragged my feet as I walked further and further away from them. I could almost hear their laughter in my ears, but I know I'm imagining it. I could picture that ring – that _gorgeous_ ring that Damon first showed to _me_ – shining on her finger. Was I being totally unreasonable for feeling like this?

Having no other place to go, I slowly made my way into the forest again. As I walked past trees after trees, I thought of how needless I was here. Damon and Vampire Elena were living their fairy tale; Stefan and Katherine were married…There was just no room for me here.

I stepped over some slippery muck and mud and continued making my way deeper into the woods. Suddenly, the sound of waters reached my ears. I immediately froze up. Was it the rain? Or was it…the running waters of a lake?

Hurriedly, I scrambled over to follow the sound. Could it be that a lake had magically appeared after all those times I've been searching for it? I snatched my jacket on a tree branch and felt a vein of some sort whip across my face but I took no notice. The thought of finally getting out of here and back to my own world was pushing me to urge forward.

Finally, I reached my destination.

I couldn't believe my eyes. In front of them, stood a small stream of water leading towards God-knows-where. Without even thinking it through, the answer just came to my head: This was the lake; the portal through which I had arrived.

It must have dried up long before I came here! That was why I couldn't find it all those times. And since it's been raining so frequently since I got here, the dried-up lake had turned back into a stream.

That meant I could find the portal. I almost tripped over myself due to my eagerness to follow the stream. I had no idea where it would take me but I know what was waiting at the end of it. Twice, I slipped and sank my leg into the water, but I continued without stopping. At last, I reached the whirlpool – a small one right in the middle of the stream, so small that I would have missed it if I weren't paying attention.

Hoping with all my heart that this was indeed the portal, I went into the stream. The water was freezing cold, but I ignored it. As I got closer and closer to the whirlpool, I couldn't help but turn around and take in this strange yet familiar place behind me. There was no one here to see me off this time. I will be leaving alone.

_Good luck._ I thought silently to Damon and Vampire Elena though I knew they didn't need luck. They loved each other so much that it seemed like they could work through anything.

_Goodbye._ I thought silently again as the tiny whirlpool with surprising force sucked me in.

.

.

.

**The Third World**

Something brushed against my face roughly, bringing me back to consciousness. Groaning, I pulled myself up from the wet ground I was lying on. My head hurt like crazy, as if I was trying to recover from the worst hangover. It was a leaf that woke me up. Sighing, I brushed it off of my face.

It took me a while to regain some strength into my legs. When I could stand again, I couldn't wait to get out of the woods and figure out if I was back at my own world. Though the chances that I'd be back were slim, I still had a tinge of hope in my heart. I staggered through the woods. No matter which world I was in, it sure was a grey one. The skies were clouded and grey, the leaves dead or dying, and the sound of the chilly wind blowing the leaves around was the only sound there was.

I was out of the woods in no time, but the streets were just as depressing as the woods. Rusty garbage cans can be seen everywhere and almost every lawn looked wild and unattended. There was no children playing around, no gossiping Moms nearby, and not a car in sight. The only people that walked along the sidewalk walked quickly and kept their eyes on their feet.

A piece of newspaper was blown onto my leg by the wind. Bending down, I picked it up and read the headlines: _Mayor Lockwood's son discovered dead in the woods._

_Tyler_. I thought in disbelief as I crunched the newspaper with my shaking hand. A chill ran through me as I turned around to look back at the woods I had just come out of. Shaking all over, I walked as fast as I could without actually running down the empty, eerie street. This wasn't my world. This couldn't be it. This _can't_ be.

I saw a familiar face as I walked past a few more houses. It was Caroline's mother, Sheriff Forbes, walking with her head down and her hands filled with a stack of paper. As soon as I saw her, relief surged through me, and I hurried over.

"Sheriff Forbes!" I exclaimed a little too loudly.

Sheriff Forbes's eyes almost popped out when she saw me, "_Elena?_ Is that _you_?" She gasped and grabbed my forearms with amazing force.

"I – yes –" I stuttered, not really sure what was going on.

"You're back! You came back!" She said, "Oh, I told Jenna you'd come back…and you _did_." She was laughing now, but tears were rolling down her cheeks. This was starting to freak me out. "Is – is – Caroline with you? Is Caroline –?" Sheriff Forbes suddenly asked urgently, attempting to look behind me to see if I were hiding someone.

"N-No, she isn't, I –" I stopped dead as I finally saw what the stack of papers in Sheriff Forbes's hands were. They were pictures of a beautiful smiling girl with gleaming blond hair, and letters in big, bold blocks under the picture. **STILL** **MISSING: CAROLINE FORBES, 18, LAST SEEN WEARING GREEN BLOUSE AND JEANS.**

"No." I whispered, reading the lines below the picture again. "Caroline's missing?"

Sheriff Forbes had a grave look on her face, "She was gone on the same day as you two years ago. When I saw you, I thought maybe she…she…might have come back and…" She gulped and couldn't say anything more.

_Two years._ I repeated silently to myself. This definitely wasn't my world. I was gone for _two years_! Why would I do that?

"I'm glad you're back, Elena…" Sheriff Forbes hugged me tightly, "It makes me think maybe Caroline would come back too. Just don't leave again…Jenna has been through hell since you've been gone. You never said goodbye…"

"I…I'm sorry…" I hugged her back gently, "I hope Caroline comes home soon."

"Yes…well…" Sheriff Forbes wiped her eyes and took a deep breath, "You go home now, ok? I – I have to put these flyers up."

"I can help."

"No, no…You go home. Jenna and Jeremy have been waiting long enough…" As Sheriff Forbes walked away, I noticed how older she seemed, how thin she was, and the grey and white hairs on her head. It pained me to see her like this. Sheriff Forbes was always strong and silent, but now it looked like she was on the verge of breaking down. Watching her walk away, I could only imagine what Jenna and Jeremy had gone through.

Picking up my pace and trying my best to ignore the posters of the missing Caroline taped everywhere, I made for my house. To my disappointment, no one was home. I knocked for a long time just to be sure, but no one answered the door.

I felt terror as I peered through the windows of my house into the dark living room. The house seemed deserted. There were papers everywhere, and a knocked-over vase on the coffee table. The floor was un-wiped, the dished unwashed, and a lot of take-in bags were on the table, as if no one had bothered to cook for a long time. I swallowed and moved away from the window. What if something had happened to Jenna and Jeremy? What if the house was robbed recently? It really looked like no one has lived here for quite a while.

Giving an involuntary shudder, I walked around to the back of the house. Unfortunately, the back door was locked too. Having no other choice, I started walking toward the Boarding House. Stefan and Damon will fill me in, I'm sure. On my way there, a million thoughts of what could have happened to Jenna and Jeremy ran through my head, and I tried my best not to let myself get too shaken up. I told myself that I was being overdramatic and that everything was fine. Somehow, I wasn't very convincing.

It was a relief to see the light in the Boarding House on. As I knocked, I found myself anxiously hoping that it would be Damon who will open the door. Suddenly, the door swung open in front of me, and I came face to face with an unshaven, sulky-faced Stefan. He looked so different that my mouth dropped open when I took in the sight of him. His eyes were blood-shot, his hair a total mess, and his shirt was wrinkled and tucked hastily into his pants, which had an obvious cut at the ankles.

"S-Stefan!" I choked out, unable to recognize him.

He, however, didn't look so surprised to see me, unlike Sheriff Forbes. "What do you want." He asked tonelessly in a very dull voice, blocking the doorway so I couldn't get into the Boarding House.

"I..." I didn't know how to begin to start my story.

"Come to taunt me again?" Stefan sneered at me, his eyes mocking, "I would be surprised if you didn't."

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh. Yes." Stefan said dully, "Play dumb. Very mature, Katherine."

Well, that explained it. I reached out and took his hand, surprising him. Immediately, he tried to break out of my touch as if I disgusted him. It stung, but I reminded myself that he thought I was Katherine. It was nice to know that in this world, as depressing as it was, Stefan didn't love Katherine.

"Stefan, it's me." I said gently, "It's Elena."

I was shocked to find that Stefan didn't look surprised. Instead, he looked...angry. He looked absolutely furious. He was actually trembling with fury as his eyes narrowed at me.

"That's not funny." Stefan whispered. His voice was low, but full of rage, "That's not funny at all." He choked out, his eyes bulging like crazy.

I took a step back. Never had I seen Stefan so out of control, and so...crazy. "S-Stefan," I tried to soothe him, "I'm not joking. I swear. I'm Elena. I have a heartbeat, can you hear it? Please let me in, and I'll explain everything."

Silence. Stefan looked in disbelief as he listened intently to my heartbeat. He must have heard it because his eyes widened even more, and an incredulous expression broke across his face.

"Elena..." He whispered, grabbing me by the shoulders, "Elena...It's you...It's really you?" He asked unsurely, his hands coming to caress my face. "I'm dreaming...I must be..."

He was shaking me so hard that I had trouble gaining my balance, "Y-You're not. Stefan, I know I left two years ago, but I'm b-back now." I said as convincingly as I could.

Stefan let go of me abruptly. "Left?" He asked, his voice suddenly returning to the toneless one I heard his use just a few minutes ago, "Is that what you call it?"

"I -"

But before I could say anything, Stefan had dragged me into the house and closed the door behind him. "Elena. Elena, I'm so sorry." He said gravely, afraid to look at me.

"Stefan." I cut him off. His changing mood was freaking me out, "Could I talk first?"

He looked at me through those lifeless eyes and nodded slowly. I took his hand in mine again and started talking. For half an hour, I talked into the silence, telling him everything that happened to me since I've been traveling through different universes. I told him about short-haired Elena and Vampire Elena, but somehow I left out the part about both of them being with Damon. I told him about the world I came from, and how happy I was back there. I told him about Klaus and the ritual. I talked and talked until my mouth has gone dry, and with each word I say, I could see hope rising in his eyes, as if what I said had brought life back into him.

"So this is real? You're here...for real?" He asked, his hands gripping mine tightly.

"Yes." I told him.

Stefan embraced me so quickly and so hard that my chin bumped against his shoulder painfully.

"Elena..." He murmured into my shirt, "I can't believe it...This is a miracle! I can't believe it..." He let go of me and stared into my eyes, "Yes...It's you. It's really you." He hugged me again, this time even tighter than the last.

I was in bewilderment as he finally let go of me. "Stefan, where's Damon?" I asked.

The little life in his eyes left as I mentioned Damon's name, and I could see Stefan's mouth go into a thin line. Suddenly I wasn't ready for what he was about to tell me. Suddenly I didn't want to know.

"Damon..." Stefan said haltingly, "is at the Grill."

I let out a sigh of relief. For a minute, I let myself into thinking that Damon wasn't here anymore in this world, "The Grill." I repeated, "Isn't it a little early for drinking?"

Stefan's eyes darkened even more as he avoided my gaze, "Well...that's what he's been doing everyday since...since you've been gone."

"Where did I go?"

Stefan's head snapped back up to look at me, and I was shocked to see that there were tears in his eyes.

"Elena..." He said, bending his head so low that I couldn't see his tears anymore, "On this very same day two years ago, we..." He broke off, sighed, and took a deep breath, "…lost you."

I felt my whole body go numb. My worst fear came alive at that moment, and I wished with all my heart that he didn't mean what I thought he meant, "Lost me." I whispered, hoping to catch his eye, but he was looking anything but me, and I could read the expression on his face so clearly that I didn't need confirmation, "You mean...two years ago, I...died?"

.

.

.

"Elena?" Stefan asked concernedly.

But I couldn't speak. I couldn't move. I couldn't believe this. Yes, it had occurred to me that in different universes that I travel to, things might not be the way I want them to be, but I never thought that there would be no Elena in one of those worlds. It never crossed my mind that I might be…gone.

"How did it happen?" I asked quietly.

Stefan's eyes were pleading, "Elena…" He seemed to beg me not to ask, but I had to know. I _had_ to.

"Was it Klaus?"

The hatred in his eyes was all I needed to tell me the truth. So it was Klaus. So it was his ritual that killed me. I didn't understand. Back in my world, we found a lot of ways that might have worked to keep me alive, vampire or human, but here, somehow I died.

"We told everyone you left home." Stefan said desperately, "Every day, Jenna asks us if we've heard from you… And every time she asks, it kills me… We…We buried you beside your parents. We thought that would be what you wanted… A-And as for Jeremy, all he knows is that you left to run away from Klaus, and that you couldn't contact him because it was too dangerous."

I was sitting right next to Stefan, but he seemed to speak from a place far, far away. My head felt so heavy, and there was a trail of tears down my cheeks. I hadn't even realized I was crying. Suddenly, something came to my mind.

"Caroline." I choked out, searching Stefan's eyes franticly, "Sheriff Forbes said Caroline went missing the same day I did. Is she – is she –?"

Stefan lowered his eyes.

"No." I whispered, "No…"

"I'm so sorry…" Stefan replied in a strangled voice, "Klaus used her as a sacrifice…"

I remembered how excited Sheriff Forbes was when she saw me. She had thought that Caroline came back with me, when really, Caroline's…

I swallowed, "And-and Tyler?" As soon as the question left my mouth, I was afraid to know the answer.

Stefan nodded dully, "He's…gone…too."

A strangled cry escaped me as I buried my face in my hands and sobbed into them. Tyler and Caroline were both only 18. They didn't deserve to die. They should have lived…

_And so should I._

I was with them. I was dead too. Oh, God, what kind of world is this? And Jenna and Jeremy, they were both under the impression that I was on the run and might come back one day, but…I won't. I will never be back…

"Stefan…" I managed to speak after many inhales, "Stefan, could you do me a favor?"

Stefan's face lit up a little, "Anything."

"Compel Jenna. And Jeremy." I said clearly. I knew what I was asking him to do, and I was sure about my decision, "M-Make them forget about me. Not about my death, but…my existence. Make Jenna forget she ever had a niece. And make Jeremy forget he had a sister. Compel them to move away from this place, and-and start over new…" My voice trailed off as I tried to imagine their lives without memories of me.

"Elena…" Stefan said softly, "I…can't."

"What do you mean you can't?" I asked urgently, "Please, Stefan, this is what I want. _Please_."

Stefan shook his head, "No, Elena, you don't understand…If I could, I would, but… Before Klaus left, he compelled everyone here to always remember you and to never move away from Mystic Falls. …Including me and Damon."

"What? Why?"

Fury burned through Stefan's eyes as he clenched his fists, "He wanted to make sure Damon and I suffered for trying to sabotage his plan. We were to be reminded of you everyday by people in this town so we can feel the pain, and neither of us was allowed to try to kill ourselves or leave Mystic Falls to start over."

I stared at him in disbelief, "Is that why Damon…?"

"…always start drinking at the break of dawn?" Stefan asked softly, "Yes. To dull the pain. He says he sees you sometimes when he's drunk enough. I…haven't had a decent conversation with him in two years."

"Is he getting better? Is he dealing with it?" I asked, hoping to hear good news.

Sadly, Stefan shook his head, "Not a day went by that he wasn't drunk. Sometimes he's gone for weeks, but I can always find him at the cemetery. …He talks to you a lot." Stefan reached out to wipe away my tears, "He writes to you too…You should see the letters…" He stood up and led me to Damon's room.

I've been here before, but this time, I couldn't even recognize it. It was a mess, and there was a thin layer of dust on his bed, indicating he hasn't been in it for a long time. At the corner of the room was a study table, and at least a million pieces of paper was on the desk, scattered everywhere.

Crying silently, I picked up a piece of paper closest to me,

_Elena_

_I miss you so much. I see your face, but you're never here. Please come back. Please come back to me._

_I promise never to tease you again, or sneak up on you, or read your Diary again. Please just come back. I need you. Stefan needs you. So does Jenna and Jeremy. They keep asking me where you are, and I tell them to wait for you. I say it often enough that I believe it's true. I wait for you but you never come._

I was crying so hard that I couldn't even read anymore. The writing was smudgy and incoherent, and I knew he must have written it when he was still drunk. There were huge gaps on the letter where it indicates that he didn't know what to write, and blotchy parts where I assume are water or his tears.

Stefan came and put an arm around me. He opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. Instead, he handed me some other letters Damon wrote.

_Elena_

_Happy anniversary. Today would have been our second year together if you could have been here. I bought the damn dog you always played with at the pet store. He doesn't like me much. He would have liked you._

_I'm sure he would have liked you._

_I miss you so badly. Are you ever coming back?_

My hands were shaking too badly to continue reading on. It was too overwhelming. Too emotional. Sobbing uncontrollably, I put the rest of the letters back on Damon's desk and sat down at the foot of his bed. I felt confusion, despair, and love all at the same time. I didn't understand anything that was happening. I could feel Stefan's arm around me, but right now, all I wanted was Damon.

It was no surprise that I was with Damon in this world too. We would have had our two year anniversary if I hadn't…

I tried to hold them back, but the tears just kept coming and coming with no intention of stopping. I didn't even know why I was crying anymore. I just knew I couldn't stop.

Suddenly, a huge clank echoed through the halls, and I stopped sobbing immediately.

I raised my head to look at Stefan, but he didn't look alarmed.

His arm around me tightened as he mentioned for me to stand up.

"Damon's home." He told me in a quiet voice.


	8. Chapter 8

**I've been going through some things myself...So I'm in a bad mood these days… I really tried to be a good person, and I don't really understand why I am treated this way by the person I trusted the most. I'm in a lot of pain, but I guess that's all good for the story, since this is a painful world anyway.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**Chapter 8. The Third World**

I could hear slow, heavy footsteps as someone either drunk or drugged made up the stairs. It pained me to realize that even Damon's footsteps screamed out depression. I quickly went for the staircase to greet him. As I stood on top of the stairs and stared down at the man in front of me, I could not recognize him.

His hair was longer and fell into his eyes, which were dead looking. Those once piercing blue eyes were now grey, and they lacked…everything. I used to think Damon could speak through his eyes, but now all they seemed to say to me is nothingness.

His face was more pointed due to weight loss, and he wasn't smirking. He wasn't grinning. He looked like he hasn't smiled in a long time. He was unshaved, something he had in common with his brother, and he missed quite a few buttons on his black, satin shirt. He missed a belt loop on his leather pants too. He was so…_thin_. He also stank of alcohol.

Seeing me stand in front of him, Damon's expressionless face finally broke into a tired grin which didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Elena." He slurred, reaching towards me, "I see you."

Tears rolled down my face as I took a few steps to him, "I see you too, Damon." I comforted him and put his arm around my shoulders so I could get him up the stairs. I mentioned for Stefan to help me, and he came down to Damon's other side.

"Bro!" Damon said happily, turning to face Stefan now, "I see Elena. You would too if you…if you went to the Grill with me and had a few drinks. Quite a few drinks." He chuckled to himself.

Tears came to my eyes again. I had never seen Damon so drunk; so desperate…All the way up to his bedroom, he talked non-stop, but I couldn't say a word back to him. I wondered how many days he spent like this, talking to his imaginary Elena when he was drunk out of his mind.

Stefan helped me get him onto the bed. By then, he was half-asleep. I bent down to take off his shoes for him but found out that he wasn't wearing any. Just socks. One red and one blue. Gulping back tears, I took them off. Damon grinned at me drunkenly from the bed. He was trying to undo his buttons, but he only made it worse. I hurried over to help him.

"Thank you." Damon said to me gratefully, "You always…always…take care of me…"

"I'll leave you two alone." Stefan said quietly from the back.

"Yes!" Damon told him loudly, "Please."

Stefan took one last look at us and closed the door behind him. As soon as he was out of the room, I burst into tears. I wanted Damon to be _Damon_, the careless, self-centered jerk he was. I didn't want him to suffer, and I definitely didn't want to see him like this…

Damon held out his hand to wipe across my cheeks clumsily, "Don't…" He said softly, "Don't cry…Please…"

I caught his hand and held it against my face, "Damon, I've come back."

His mouth twitched, trying to smirk in the way he used to, but failed at the end, "I know. I know you will. I'll…I…wait for you."

Choking back a sob, I climbed into bed next to him, and he happily obliged. I cuddled closer to him and winced at how thin he had gotten. I didn't know vampires could lose weight, but I guess they could when they're really depressed. I don't smell the alcohol anymore. All I smell was Damon.

"I love you." I whispered to him.

His breathing was even, and he did not reply. I thought he'd gone to sleep, but his arm around me tightened and brought me closer to him.

"I love…_you_…" He breathed into my ear. "And I'm so…so…sorry for…everything." It seemed to take him a year to get a sentence out, "It was all my fault…all my fault… And every night I think about what things could have been if I acted differently… What if I took you and ran from Mystic Falls…? What if I fed you my blood before the…the ritual? What if…I could be the vampire Klaus decided to sacrifice? At least that way…I'd…still be with you."

"Damon…" I felt like crying again even though I wanted so much to be strong for Damon.

"I tried to…to…_change_." Damon continued, "I tried to change what _you've_ always wanted me to change. I'm…I'm wearing different colors…other than black." He gestured to his bare feet, but gave me a confused look when he saw that he wasn't wearing any socks, "I could have sworn I wore red and blue." He said to me in an almost pouty voice.

"You did." I told him gently while stroking his hair.

"And…" As soon as I confirmed that he did, Damon continued, "I've stopped…stopped feeding on anything alive…Not even animals…"

"Good for you…" I said sincerely.

"I did all I could think of to make you happy…" Damon murmured into my hair, "I thought it'd bring you back…I was certain it would. But it never did."

I tried not to cry so conspicuously as I scooted closer to him.

"And…did you see your puppy? I bought it for you…" Damon was slurring again, and I could barely make out what he was saying, "I keep him in the basement…Maybe that's why he hates me so much. But he would have liked you…He would have…"

Slowly, his voice trailed off and he fell into a deep sleep, his arm still protectively around me. Looking at him, I realized how much I cared for him. I've always cared for Damon, but I had never thought that what I felt towards Damon would surpass what I felt for Stefan. Right now, I was questioning those feelings. I bent down to kiss him softly on the forehead, and the frown he had been wearing slowly disappeared under my lips. I didn't know how long I laid there beside him and cried while stroking his messed-up, un-brushed hair, until I myself drifted into sleep as well beside the man that hasn't been sober since the day I left.

.

.

.

Needless to say, I slept badly. I got very uncomfortable on my side, but I didn't want to turn and not face Damon. There were many moments when I drifted in and out of dreams, half aware of my surroundings and what happened in this troublesome, dejected world. I finally came completely awake at sunrise and couldn't go back to sleep anymore. Instead, I watched Damon. He looked very peaceful when he was asleep, not the drunken, plastered man I saw yesterday. I was under the impression that vampires didn't need sleep, but I'm guessing that Damon hadn't properly rested in two years.

It was well after noon that Damon finally started to stir. He frowned again, stretched, then finally opened those beautiful yet inert eyes. For a few minutes, he simply squinted at me through the sunlight, not at all shocked that I was lying beside him. I had thought he might have remembered what happened the night before until he clamped a hand to his forehead.

"Ohhhhh…" He groaned loudly, massaging his temples, "I must be so hammered…"

"Damon," I said quietly, laying a hand on his arm gently.

Immediately, he turned around to look at me, a million questions running through his eyes.

"You're not hammered. I'm right here."

Those sharp blue eyes widened in surprise. He watched as my chest heaved from taking quick breaths; something only humans did. He looked at me in disbelief as his gaze traveled to my face once more, as if mesmerizing every single feature. Slowly, his hand came to the side of my face to push away a lock of brown hair. It was then that I realized his hands were shaking.

Damon opened his mouth, but no words came. I tried to speak too yet couldn't for some reason. Instead, I laid my hand on top of his to assure him that I was real, and not another illusion. His hand jerked at my touch, his expression incredulous, as though he couldn't believe that he could actually touch me. It was a while before he could finally get a word out.

"…_Elena?_" He whispered, his voice croaked.

I gave him a watery smile. I hadn't realized I was crying again. I cried so much last night that my eyes were puffy and swollen, and a part of me had wondered if he could even recognize me. But he, unlike Stefan, did not mistake me for Katherine, for which I was grateful.

"Elena." When I didn't say anything in return, Damon repeated my name, this time with a trembling voice. As he reached over to touch my face, I found myself holding my breath, too nervous to move or say anything. However, Damon's hand hovered in front of my eyes, his shaking fingers inches from my cheek. He couldn't bring himself to touch me for some reason. His lips were slightly parted, and I was under the impression that he was going to say something to me, but still, he remained silent. It was slowly scaring me. True, it was impossible for me to come back from the dead, and I guess he knew that as well. I wanted to explain why I was here, but he didn't give me the chance.

He leaned in and kissed me.

In all my 18 years, I had never been kissed like that. _Never_. It wasn't a kiss of passion, no, but more of agony and despair. His lips crushed mine powerfully, and I could feel how chapped they were. Our teeth knocked together, but I didn't think either of us noticed. Damon's strong hand crept up to push against the back of my head, making sure I wouldn't pull away from him. He didn't need to do that; I wouldn't have moved away even if the ceiling fell down on us.

I tasted something salty, and realized that one of us must be crying – and it wasn't me this time. I opened my eyes to look at Damon. Even though his eyes were squeezed shut, a tiny trail of water was visible along his cheek. I couldn't believe this. In all the time that I've known Damon, I had never seen him cry. I had never seen him shed _one_ tear.

Finally, after a century – or maybe even longer – we broke apart. I inhaled quickly to catch my breath, and Damon watched me in wonder. It was a while before I realized that we were still in his bed.

"Damon," I said breathlessly as I stood up, "I can explain everything."

Before I could take another step, Damon caught my wrist firmly and refused to let go. I turned to look at him. His eyes were hard.

"How long do you have?" He asked in a hoarse voice.

"I-I don't know. A few days? It depends on the weather."

Damon raised his eyebrows at me. Still holding on to my wrist, he stood up too to face me. There was still disbelief in his eyes as both his hands came up to my face and caressed my cheeks with his thumbs.

"How did you…?" His voice trailed off, unable to finish his sentence.

I knew what he wanted to ask. _How did you come back from the dead? How did you manage to be alive again? How did you make your way here? How did you do it?_

I wish I could tell him that I, indeed, had come alive again, but I couldn't. It wasn't true. There was no way to reverse death, and both of us knew it. Instead, I told him about traveling through parallel universes. I spoke until my mouth had gone dry, and he didn't interrupt me. As I mentioned how I came to this world, his eyes widened pleasantly in surprise, but unlike Stefan, who was thrilled to discover that I was in fact Elena, Damon's eyes darkened again when I told him I had come from another world.

When I was finished, I could feel Damon's hands on my face become limp. His shoulders sagged evidently to indicate his disappointment.

"So you are Elena," He said, "from another world."

I nodded.

"You don't have…the…the memories of the Elena in this world."

Slowly, I shook my head.

Damon swooped me into his arms so quickly that I needed a moment to understand what just happened.

"I don't care." He murmured against my hair, his arms crushing me, "I don't care. I just…I…"

"Damon…"

"No." Damon suddenly let go of me, almost making me lose my balance, "Elena, it was…it was all my fault. I'm so sorry. I…" He was repeating what he said last night, when he was drunk. He was still apologizing and blaming himself.

Slowly, he knelt down in front of me and hugged me around the waist, "I should have stopped it…I should have done…_something_…"

"Damon," I tried to speak in an even voice, "Damon, no, it wasn't your fault. Stefan told me what happened. You…You couldn't have stopped it."

Damon shook his head, his arms around me tightening, "No…No, I vowed to keep you safe. I vowed to die before I let anything happen to you, but I… But now you're gone and _I_ get to live. And I just don't understand _why_…"

My shoulders started to shake as I cried silent tears. I couldn't begin to estimate the pain Damon was in. He blamed himself for my death, but it wasn't his fault. It _wasn't_. Stefan had told me how Klaus had that witch Greta snatch me from the Boarding House in the middle of the night. She casted a silencing spell so neither Damon or Stefan heard what was going on. No one had realized I had gone missing until Damon got up to check up on me a few hours later, and by the time they found me, it was too late. The ritual was almost finished, and I was long gone. Bonnie failed to bring down Klaus, and Klaus, after compelling everyone in Mystic Falls to never walk out of the shadows of my "sudden departure", had left.

It was nobody's fault, and definitely not Damon's. In fact, I was actually quite moved that everyone worked _so_ hard to protect me. To know that Damon blamed himself for everything made my heart throb painfully.

"Please, Damon…" I knelt down too so I could see his face, and those empty eyes, "Please don't blame yourself."

"I come up with a million ways to save you." Damon muttered at the floor, "But it's all too late."

"Hey." I took his hands in mine, "Damon, look at me. I'm right here."

Damon embraced me again. "You were the best thing that ever happened to me." He said in my ear, "You know that, right? You do know that?"

I nodded, trying my best not to cry again.

"Please…_please_ don't leave me again."

I squeezed my eyes shut as he begged me not to leave. I knew I must one day. I knew I must return to my world. Yet to feel Damon's desperation and misery so intense, I wanted to just stay here in this world forever. I wanted to be here for Damon and Stefan, to mourn for Caroline and Tyler's death, and to finally return to Aunt Jenna and Jeremy, who have been waiting anxiously for my arrival since I "left" two years ago. I thought of how much good I could do here and how much pain I could ease, and I seriously didn't want to go.

_But what about your world, Elena?_ Asked a small voice in my head. _Your own world is probably falling apart because you disappeared mysteriously one night. Jenna, Jeremy, Stefan, Damon, Bonnie, Caroline… They're all looking for you. Could you seriously do that to them? Could you just throw your life away to console the people here?_

I chose to ignore those thoughts.

"Don't leave." Damon said to me, his expression unreadable. "Promise me."

I wish I could. But somehow, in my heart, I knew that if I did, I would leave him with a broken promise. I couldn't stay. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't. If I stayed to try to make everything right in this world, I would only be making everything wrong in mine. I wish there was a way to bring back the Elena in this world, but I knew there wasn't. You can't reverse death. You just can't.

Instead of answering, I simply held him closer.

.

.

.

"So, Elena, what do you want to do first?" Stefan asked as he saw Damon and I make our ways down the stairs. There was a spark in his eyes that I definitely didn't remember seeing the day before. It was like someone was slowly blowing life into him again, and I wondered if that someone was me. "Announce you're back in town? Visit Jenna and Jeremy?" He asked eagerly.

There was a sharp stab on my heart when I heard those two names. I wanted to visit them, I really did, but a part of me was telling myself that it'd do more harm than good.

Instead, I took a deep breath and faced Damon, "I…I think I'd like to see my grave." I tried to speak in a nonchalant tone but it came out all wrong. My voice was choked and forced.

Damon's eyes darkened at my request, "Elena…"

"Please." I persisted. I felt like I needed to see it so that I can finally convince myself it was true. It was true that I was no longer in this world anymore. I needed some kind of closure to ensure that the Elena here wasn't coming back. Ever. "Come with me." I added.

Damon closed his eyes. He looked so hurt that I regretted making the request in the first place. He looked like I had just asked him to do the hardest thing in the world, which, I suppose, I did. I looked around at Stefan. His expression was unreadable, but there were deep frown lines on his face. Neither of them thought this was a good idea.

Finally, Damon nodded, "Okay."

"Damon!" Stefan said urgently.

"She's right, Stefan." Damon said in a final sort of voice, "She has a right to know."

It took a while, but Stefan finally agreed in the end. As the three of us went of the Boarding House, I couldn't help but wonder whether I made the right choice or not. Seeing your own grave was bizarre, and I wasn't sure I could take it. But somehow, I needed something to prove to me what happened in this world.

We took the path through the woods to get to the graveyard. I couldn't risk being seen by other people yet. Not when everyone else thought I was out of town instead of…well…dead.

When we finally reached the cemetery, I got a very bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. I didn't want to go in further, and I had to force my legs to move. Damon sensed my uneasiness and came by my side.

"If you want to leave, we can." He told me gently.

I shook my head. "No. No, I need to see this."

Damon nodded again and took my hand. Walking hand in hand with Damon somehow made everything a little better than it was. But it didn't dull the pain of losing Caroline and Tyler. Everywhere I looked, I saw posters after posters of a smiling Caroline, no doubt taped to every inch of this town by Sheriff Forbes. I couldn't imagine what she was going through. But when I thought of her, I thought of Jenna and Jeremy. It physically pained me to know they've been going through the same thing.

When we finally reached my parents' grave, there was so much going through my head that I couldn't even remember why I was here in the first place. Then suddenly the sight in front of me brought me back to reality.

"…There's….There's no grave." I said hollowly to Damon. "I don't understand…"

Damon squeezed my hand, "I'm sorry, Elena. Because we told everyone you skipped town, we couldn't get a headstone for you."

"It would be very conspicuous." Stefan agreed.

"But…" I spluttered, not really sure what I wanted to say.

"But we did something else instead." Damon said quietly.

Following his gaze, I saw a willow tree planted next to my parents' graves, shading them from the direct sunlight.

"Is that…?"

"That's…to remember you." Damon told me. I turned around to look at him, but he was determined to look anywhere but me.

To see the young willow tree standing beside me filled me up with emotions. I was so moved and so touched that Damon and Stefan did something like this for me, but also so sad that it proved my death. I was suddenly very confused. A million questions flooded through my mind, and I couldn't answer any one of them.

I came up to the tree slowly and touched the bumpy trunk. It felt…special to me. It felt…God, I didn't know how to describe what I was feeling.

I raised my head to look at the wickers floating in the wind. On a top branch, there was something craved there. I squinted, but I couldn't make out what it said. I turned towards Damon again with questions burning in my eyes.

Understanding me perfectly, Damon picked me up bridal style and made his way up the tree. The next thing I knew, I was sitting on that particular branch.

"We couldn't give you a headstone…" Damon murmured while tracing the carvings on the branch, "So…"

I bent my head to read the cravings.

**Elena Gilbert, 1993-2009.**

There was also a poem below it, but I couldn't read anymore. It was all real. I _was_ dead. I couldn't believe this. I didn't know what to do now. I felt so empty, and so depressed. Silently, Damon carried me down again and hugged me close to him. He must have been suspecting this kind of behavior anyway. As I sobbed into his shirt for the millionth time in the last two days, I pictured my life here in this world. I must have been happy. I was dating Damon. I was friends with Stefan, Caroline, and Bonnie. I had a wonderful family. Nothing was wrong until Klaus came along.

I hated Klaus so much at that moment. I've never hated anyone in my life, but now I realized what "hate" was. I hated him for destroying everything I had so thoroughly.

"It's alright…" Damon said comfortingly as he stroked my hair.

But it wasn't alright. I didn't know when I had to leave, but when I do, I'd leave everything in a mess. And Damon and Stefan would have to deal with this whole thing all over again.

"Who else knows about my death?" I asked.

Damon looked a little startled that I would ask such a question.

"Just me, Stefan, and Bonnie."

"I…I want to see Bonnie." I said in a small voice.

Neither Damon nor Stefan spoke. I jerked my head up to look at them; at their pained expressions.

"No." I whispered, "No, Bonnie didn't…Not Bonnie…"

"She's fine." Stefan said quickly. "But…"

"She tried her best to bring down Klaus." Damon explained, "But the spell took too much out of her. She channeled too much power, and by the time she realized that, her body couldn't take it any more…"

I felt like someone had grabbed me around my throat to keep me from breathing. I wished with all my heart that this story didn't end the way Caroline's did.

"She slid into a coma."

"No…" I choked out.

"No, Elena, she woke up a year ago." Damon added, "But…But…" He shot Stefan a glance that seemed to say, "I can't tell her this." But Stefan looked away.

"But what?" I felt like my heart was about to jump out of my throat.

Damon sighed, "But she's lost the ability to walk. She's paralyzed from the waist down."


End file.
